Along the River During the Qingming Festival: Stand the Test of Time

Today, we’ll talk about a timeless Chinese painting that vividly portrays the dynamic scenes of urban life during the Song Dynasty, making it a cherished symbol of traditional Chinese culture and history.

Transcript

Along the River During the Qingming Festival: Stand the Test of Time

Today, we’ll talk about a timeless Chinese painting that vividly portrays the dynamic scenes of urban life during the Song Dynasty, making it a cherished symbol of traditional Chinese culture and history.

Folk artist Zhao Weiping from Jizhou District, Hengshui City in Hebei Province, spent 8 years creating a large cross-stitch art piece titled Along the River During the Qingming Festival. This artwork vividly reproduces the historical and cultural scenes of ancient times and the prosperity of the ancient capital. On November 28, Zhao brought her masterpiece to the Fifth Primary School in Jizhou Town, Jizhou District, where this magnificent and beautiful historical scroll was slowly unfolded before the children.

The artwork is 22 meters long and 1 meter wide, using the famous painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, one of China’s top 10 traditional paintings, as the subject material for the embroidery. It includes a vast number of characters, livestock, vehicles, sedan chairs, boats, houses, bridges, city towers, and other distinctive natural and cultural landscapes of the Song Dynasty, existing between 960 and 1127. The entire cross-stitch artwork is incredibly lifelike and grand, serving as a vivid witness to the prosperity of the capital and an authentic depiction of economic and social life.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying, “In culture, there is no number one. In martial arts, there is no second place.” And even though painting falls under the category of “culture”, there are always people who want to rank ancient paintings that have been passed down through the ages as first or second, as if this makes it easier to judge their value. Major museums have also introduced their “treasures of the museum,” and the National Cultural Heritage Administration has organized events like the “Top Ten Famous Paintings” and “Prohibited from Leaving the Country for Exhibition,” among others. Clearly, if a work can make it onto all of these top-ranking “lists,” it can be considered to hold a prominent place among cultural relics.

In China, there is only one painting that meets all these conditions, the famous Along the River During the Qingming Festival, in Chinese Qingming Shanghe Tu, which is housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing and is one of the museum’s most prized possessions.

But how did this painting end up in the Beijing Palace Museum?

As is well known, in modern Chinese history, royal collections that should have been stored in the Forbidden City endured a series of calamities, including the Second Opium War in the middle of the 19th century, the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance at the turn of the 20th century, and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression from 1931 to 1945. These events, coupled with several changes in political power, led to a substantial portion of the Forbidden City’s precious artifacts finding a new home in the Palace Museum in Taipei. What’s more, the most significant losses of Qing Dynasty artifacts from the Forbidden City were not due to warfare but rather were the result of internal theft.

After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, China’s last dynasty which existed from 1644 to 1911, there were instances of eunuchs embezzling valuable items, including Emperor Xuantong, Pu Yi, himself. Pu Yi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, visited the palace daily to accompany his brother during his studies. Pu Yi took the opportunity to “reward” his younger brother by allowing him to take home over 1,000 precious artifacts from the palace. Most of these items were ancient calligraphy and paintings, constituting a highly valuable part of the Palace Museum’s collection of tens of thousands of such pieces. According to statistics from the Palace Museum during the Republic of China period from 1912 to 1949, there were over 1,300 calligraphy and painting items in this collection.

Later, Pu Yi was expelled from the palace and lived in Tianjin, then moved north to Changchun in northeast China’s Jilin Province, where he aligned with Japanese imperialists and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. His most significant assets during this time were these calligraphy works and paintings.

After World War II, when Manchukuo fell, Pu Yi prepared to escape to Japan on an aircraft, taking only around 200 of these artworks with him, but they were later intercepted by the Soviet Red Army. The remaining items that he couldn’t take were looted by Pu Yi’s bodyguards and soldiers. Some of these items quickly found their way into the antique market but were later confiscated by the government. All of these valuable calligraphy works and paintings, both the confiscated and intercepted ones, eventually ended up in the storage rooms of the Northeast Museum, predecessor of the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the first museum of the People’s Republic of China.

Originally well-documented and cataloged within the Qing Dynasty’s Forbidden City, these artifacts became disorganized and required extensive reorganization. During this process, experts were astonished to discover that there were several different versions of the painting, each unique in terms of age, materials, colors, content, authorship, and techniques. Yet, they were all named Along the River During the Qingming Festival. This raised the question of how this came to be.

Even more intriguing, not only were different versions of the painting found among these artifacts, but when the Kuomintang Party retreated to Taiwan, they took a version of the painting to the Palace Museum in Taipei. Surprisingly, even though the Beijing Palace Museum had lost many versions of Along the River During the Qingming Festival, they still had some in their collection. According to experts from the Beijing Palace Museum, there are over 100 different versions of the painting scattered in major museums around the world, spanning various dynasties from the Song, Yuan, Ming, to Qing. 

While other ancient paintings often have multiple copies, mainly serving as replicas, the various versions of Along the River During the Qingming Festival are distinct from one another and merely share the painting’s name. Moreover, the differences between the versions are significant, and they cannot be considered imitations or forgeries. This highlights the enduring fame of the name Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Among the many famous paintings in the world, it’s likely that only this one can claim such a distinction.

When the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, the country was impoverished, and the Palace Museum was no exception. They urgently needed to collect valuable artifacts from various regions to enrich their collection. At that time, the Liaoning Provincial Museum, being the largest repository of Qing Dynasty artifacts in China, contributed its most precious findings to the state. Foremost among these was the Zhang Zeduan version of Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Today, this well-known masterpiece from the Northern Song Dynasty, existing between 960 and 1127, has returned to the Forbidden City. Another valuable version of the painting, created by Qiu Ying in the Ming Dynasty, lasting from 1368 to 1644, remains in the Liaoning Provincial Museum and is one of their prized possessions.

Now, you may be wondering just how many versions of the Qingming Shanghe Tu there are and what their connection is.

Online, you can find numerous high-resolution images of the painting, most of which originate from Qiu Ying’s version. But this can lead to some confusion because the Qiu Ying version is relatively recent. Its colors are vibrant, and Qiu Ying was a highly skilled Ming Dynasty artist. However, Qiu Ying’s depiction is not of the northern Song Dynasty capital, Bianliang City, but of his contemporary city, Su Zhou in Jiangsu Province, one of the most prosperous cities in the mid-Ming Dynasty.

Despite portraying Su Zhou, why is it also called Qingming Shanghe Tu? This is because Zhang Zeduan’s version introduced a completely new artistic style that differs significantly from previous paintings. It demanded exceptional artistic skill and profound societal experience. Even replicating a painting in this style is challenging, let alone creating an original one. Only a “genius” artist could undertake this seemingly impossible task.

Qiu Ying was part of the “Wumen Four Masters” in the Ming Dynasty, and “Wumen”, the class of Wu family, refers to the Su Zhou region today. These four artists, known as the “Ming Four Masters,” held a high position in the Ming Dynasty’s art scene. Their lifetimes roughly coincided with the “Three Masters of the Italian Renaissance.” Among the Four Masters, Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, and Tang Yin were renowned scholars and literati, considered the top talents of their time. By contrast, Qiu Ying did not come from a literary background; he started as a painter and later gained recognition from figures like Wen Zhengming and Tang Yin. He received instruction from master painters and dedicated himself to his craft, ultimately becoming one of the “Ming Four Masters.”

This diverse background gave Qiu Ying’s paintings two distinctive features: vivid colors, even reviving the rarely seen “big green and blue landscapes,” and broad popularity, not just among literati but also among merchants. His works were highly regarded by several prominent collectors of his time.

During the Ming Dynasty, the royal family didn’t prioritize art collection, and instead, private individuals thrived in this aspect. Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty, was a beggar-turned-emperor. In Zhejiang Province, there was a prominent collector named Xiang Yuanbian, and more than half of the ancient calligraphy and paintings in the Qing Dynasty’s imperial collection came from his personal collection.

Besides his passion for collecting ancient calligraphy and paintings, Xiang Yuanbian was a fervent patron of contemporary artists. One of the greatest beneficiaries of his patronage was Qiu Ying, who lived in Xiang’s household for many years, studying and copying numerous famous ancient paintings. Later, over 60 of Qiu Ying’s paintings were added to Xiang Yuanbian’s collection. Xiang undoubtedly played a significant role as Qiu Ying’s primary patron and collector, greatly contributing to his artistic achievements.

Copying ancient paintings was a labor-intensive task, especially in a time without cameras or photocopiers. Even a master like Qiu Ying, when attempting to copy a masterpiece like the Qingming Shanghe Tu, faced a formidable challenge. At the peak of Qiu Ying’s career, there was a gap in the transmission of the Northern Song Dynasty’s Zhang Zeduan version. It likely resided in the hands of private collectors, not yet acquired by the powerful officials Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan. During this period, Qiu Ying probably had the opportunity to observe this painting multiple times in the household of Xiang Yuanbian or other collectors. However, no matter how long he observed or how exceptional his skills and memory, he couldn’t replicate it exactly, even a close resemblance was difficult.

Given that Qiu Ying was already a renowned artist, he took a unique approach. He used Zhang Zeduan’s basic composition and the name Qingming Shanghe Tu to create a piece that was part imitation, part original; part Northern Song style, part Ming Dynasty style; part Bianliang, part Su Zhou. The latter half of the painting was almost a true representation of Su Zhou city during that time.

Once Qiu Ying’s paintings were introduced, they quickly gained market popularity. Many unknown artists in Su Zhou gathered to emulate his works, creating “fan copies.” To fetch good prices, these artists attributed their work to Qiu Ying, a well-known name. Of course, painters lacking the necessary skill and ability wouldn’t dare to claim Qiu Ying’s name or create a grand masterpiece. Behind these artists, there were undoubtedly powerful sponsors.

It is said that more than 30 copies of the Qiu Ying version of the painting have survived to this day. About 10 are held in various major museums, including the Beijing Palace Museum. Out of these, three have been authenticated as genuine Qiu Ying works, and they are located in the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the Taipei Palace Museum, and the Shandong Qingzhou Museum.

These Qiu Ying versions of the painting were all collected by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty during his reign, and it’s a testament to his dedication. He scoured the world for famous paintings and treasures, documenting them in the royal collection, rivaling the contributions of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty to Chinese art collection. Unfortunately, despite his efforts during his 63-year reign, Emperor Qianlong never had the chance to see the original Zhang Zeduan version. Faced with so many different versions, some vibrant, some delicate, and the so-called Qiu Ying versions, Emperor Qianlong believed they didn’t fit in with his vision of the “Kang-Qian flourishing era” that had continued for over a century. 

He ordered his five most accomplished court painters to create a royal version and inscribed “Respectfully Presented by Zhang Zeduan.” Although somewhat amusing, this scroll was exceptionally neat and exquisite, depicting streets, pedestrians, buildings, and shops in an orderly manner. It was as if they were all lining up for the emperor’s inspection. This painting became an essential document for future generations to understand the social customs of the Qing Dynasty, and it is currently housed in the Taipei Palace Museum.

After Qianlong’s death, Emperor Jiaqing promptly purged the corrupt official He Shen. Many people closely associated with He Shen were also implicated. A regional official, Bi Yuan, who had earned the top scholar degree, had died several years earlier but was still subject to a search because of his close relationship with He Shen. From his home, the Northern Song Zhang Zeduan version was seized and eventually made its way into the imperial collection. Thus, the saying, “He Shen took a tumble and Jiaqing ate his fill,” is not baseless. Since Emperor Qianlong never truly saw the painting, there aren’t numerous Qianlong seals on it, thus allowing this rare Northern Song treasure to be preserved in its original state.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Song Yimin, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.