Along the River During the Qingming Festival: The Original and the Best

Today, we will continue to talk about how the renowned painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival stands as a testament to artistic excellence, exemplifying unparalleled and unsurpassed value in the world of art.

Transcript

Along the River During the Qingming Festival: The Original and the Best

Today, we will continue to talk about how the renowned painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival stands as a testament to artistic excellence, exemplifying unparalleled and unsurpassed value in the world of art.

In our previous podcast, we discussed how a multitude of painters have sought to emulate Zhang Zeduan’s masterpiece, Along the River During the Qingming Festival, rather than pursuing their own artistic innovations. But what makes this painting so highly esteemed in Chinese artistic history?

These leading painters of later generations chose to emulate Zhang Zeduan and create their own versions of the Qingming Shanghe Tu for several reasons. Firstly, it is revered throughout history because it transcends the typical boundaries of traditional painting styles. It covers a vast range of subject matter, including people, landscapes, vehicles, animals, buildings, and shops. This complexity goes beyond standard character and landscape paintings, making it one of the earliest examples of “genre painting” in Chinese art history. Creating a work in this style requires exceptional skills and extensive experience.

Genre painting, as represented in the painting, doesn’t merely depict a specific era or a particular group of people’s customs. Instead, it serves as an encyclopedia brought to life through art, a monumental historical work. Studying such a painting allows viewers to quickly immerse themselves in the hustle and bustle of street life in Bianliang, the capital city during the late Northern Song Dynasty.

These paintings hold not only high artistic value but also significant historical, documentary, and research value. A single painting can offer insights equivalent to dozens or even hundreds of historical texts. In particular, Zhang Zeduan’s version of the Qingming Shanghe Tu captures a unique period in Chinese history – the early reign of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty. It reflects a time when the economy and culture were at their peak but would soon decline, making it a period of immense historical significance.

In essence, these later painters were drawn to emulate the Qingming Shanghe Tu because it represented a pinnacle in artistic achievement and a comprehensive portrayal of a specific historical period and culture.

So, what does Qingming actually mean?

Zhang Zeduan’s painting is widely known today not only because it encompasses a wide range of subjects but also due to its impressive scale. Within a relatively small scroll, it depicts over 500, some say 800 or even 1,600, figures, more than 60 cattle and horses, over 30 buildings, more than 20 carriages, and over 20 boats. All of this is condensed into a scroll that is 24.8 centimeters in height and 528 centimeters in length. While a scroll of over 5 meters is not short, it is still a feat to contain such vast and intricate content within it. Each figure is no larger than a grain of rice, yet upon closer inspection, most of them exhibit distinct facial expressions and are clear and discernible.

The greatness of the painting doesn’t just lie in its grandeur, precision, and intricacy; it’s also in its clever arrangement and density. This scroll unfolds like a symphony: it begins gently with the pastoral section, gradually becomes more detailed with the waterfront area, reaches a climax at the Rainbow Bridge section, and ends with the bustling city streets. 

Clearly, this is an incomplete scroll. According to a postscript by Li Dongyang, a great academician of the Ming Dynasty, during his ownership, the scroll was over 7 meters in length, but it has since lost more than 2 meters. This missing portion likely depicted the inner city, including the palace. This missing part became an opportunity for various later versions to express their creativity, as some versions depicted Su Zhou, Beijing, the contemporary Kai Feng, or an imagined city of Northern Song’s Bianliang. In summary, this missing part, over the course of several centuries in different versions, has become a history of changes in Chinese urban landscapes and a unique “scenic spot” in the history of Chinese art.

The previous three sections have largely maintained the composition of Zhang Zeduan’s original structure, which follows a layout of “countryside – waterfront – Rainbow Bridge – city gate.” Nevertheless, each section possesses its own artistic techniques and contemporary characteristics, making them distinct from one another. When comparing different versions, it becomes apparent that Zhang Zeduan’s original is the most exquisite, and even renowned artists like Qiu Ying fall far short of his level.

Apart from its exquisite and vivid details, Zhang Zeduan’s painting is remarkable for its dynamic and contradictory moments that leave viewers with questions, making them want to step into the painting and explore life along the Bian River.

For instance, the Rainbow Bridge section, which is the climax of the entire scroll, is portrayed uniquely in Zhang Zeduan’s version. It’s not just lively but also filled with excitement and danger. People on the bridge are bustling about, some are haggling, while others are about to engage in a confrontation. However, the crowd isn’t rushing towards the commotion; they are all eagerly looking down below. Clearly, something even more exciting is happening under the bridge.

A significant danger is imminent as a large cargo ship is about to pass under the Rainbow Bridge, with its main mast still upright. This oversight might lead to a catastrophic collapse and disaster. Sailors on the ship are in a frenzy, trying to lower the mast and maneuver the ship to pass through safely. Onlookers on the bridge are in a state of suspense, unsure if they are about to witness a miracle or a catastrophe. The painting leaves this moment frozen in time, allowing viewers to ponder the outcome.

This sense of suspense and hidden stories can be found throughout the entire scroll. Whether it’s the relaxed “firefighters” on the Watchtower, foreign merchants passing through the unattended city gates, or officials negotiating grain shipments, the painting is filled with mysteries and intriguing moments that invite interpretation.

Even in the opening section, a small group of people and horses traversing a wooded area, it’s unclear whether they’re returning from Qingming Festival activities or a wedding procession. The painting presents a mingling of scenes, blurring the lines between a lively market festival and a solemn tomb-sweeping occasion during Qingming. Experts have differing opinions, with some even pointing out autumnal elements, like the trees and the charcoal-selling procession, suggesting that the painting may not depict Qingming Festival at all, but rather represents a Qingming Prosperous Era. This adds another layer of interpretation and folklore to the artwork.

There is limited information available about the life of Zhang Zeduan. What is known is that he served as a court painter during the early years of Emperor Huizong’s reign in the Northern Song Dynasty. He specialized in genre painting and excelled in depicting palace gardens and architectural scenes. Along the River During the Qingming Festival was commissioned as an official work to showcase the prosperity of the capital city of Bianliang, modern-day Kaifeng. Zhang Zeduan executed this challenging task with skill, not only portraying the vibrancy of Bianliang but also subtly weaving social issues and crises he observed into the painting. It’s likely that Emperor Huizong, a highly accomplished artist himself, could have discerned the deeper “advisory” meaning in the artwork.

Unfortunately, Emperor Huizong, despite his artistic prowess, was not suited for the role of emperor. His artistic sensibilities were so refined that he noticed even the smallest flaws in art. However, he seemed oblivious to the impending societal problems that would lead to a major catastrophe. He remained enamored with the idealized “Qingming Prosperous Era” he had woven for himself. Emperor Huizong showed great appreciation for Zhang Zeduan’s work, personally naming it and affixing his “Double Dragon Seal.” Regrettably, these inscriptions were lost over time. What Huizong admired was Zhang Zeduan’s artistic skill, not the issues depicted in the painting.

Zhang Zeduan, undaunted, took the opportunity to present another long scroll titled The River of Refugees, or Flowing Crowds, signaling its content quite clearly. Following this presentation, Zhang Zeduan disappeared from the historical record, and no other artworks by him have been handed down.

The journey of the Along the River During the Qingming Festival through history has been as eventful as its content.

Its initial owner, of course, was Emperor Huizong himself. Huizong was not only the emperor with the highest artistic achievement in Chinese history but also one of the most inept rulers. After over two decades of his rule, which had greatly weakened the once-wealthy Northern Song Dynasty, the northern Jin Dynasty invaded, leading to the fall of the Northern Song. Both Huizong and his son were captured by the Jin, and Along the River During the Qingming Festival found its way to the Jin Dynasty. Some of the earliest postscripts to the painting were written by Han Chinese literati who had ended up in the Jin Dynasty, expressing their sorrow and longing for their homeland.

During the Ming Dynasty, the painting was in the possession of Li Dongyang, and it was still over 7 meters in length at that time. It’s not entirely clear when the painting lost more than 2 meters of its length, but it’s believed that during the period when Qiu Ying created his extended version of the scroll, the full-length painting was still intact. Qiu Ying added significant content to his version of the painting. Around the same time as Qiu Ying, there is said to have been another individual with an exceptional memory who created a meticulous copy of Zhang Zeduan’s original, so accurate that it could easily be mistaken for the real thing. 

This person was the nephew of the wife of a previous owner, Lu Wan, who was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Military Affairs. After Lu Wan’s death, the painting came into the possession of Wang Yu, a vice minister at the ministry. When the powerful Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan heard about it, they forcibly demanded the painting from Wang Yu. In desperation, Wang Yu sought out the nephew of Lu Wan’s wife and, at a high price, obtained a counterfeit version of the painting, which he then presented to the Yans. However, the craftsmen who framed the counterfeit noticed the flaws, and upon discovering the deception, the Yans were furious. Wang Yu was executed, and the genuine painting was confiscated by the Yan family.

Wang Yu had a son, Wang Shizhen, a renowned literary figure in the Ming Dynasty. To avenge his father’s death and to reclaim the painting, Wang Shizhen, under the pseudonym Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng, wrote a famous novel titled Jin Ping Mei, also known as The Plum in the Golden Vase or The Golden Lotus. He applied poison to the pages of the book and presented it to Yan Shifan. Yan, intrigued by the novel, read it with great enthusiasm but was poisoned and died. During Yan Shifan’s funeral, Wang Shizhen took advantage of the opportunity to retrieve two invaluable items Yan had planned to place in the coffin – Along the River During the Qingming Festival and The Plum in the Golden Vase.

It’s important to note that this story is a legend, as the official historical records indicate that Yan Shifan was executed for severe crimes rather than being poisoned. Nevertheless, this legend has been widely circulated since the Ming Dynasty, and it has overshadowed the historical account. As a result, many literary experts believe that The Plum in the Golden Vase was authored by Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng, who is identified as Wang Shizhen. In the world of art and artifact collectors, some still question the authenticity of the two versions of Zhang Zeduan’s Along the River During the Qingming Festival that have been passed down, leading to doubts about the scroll’s legitimacy when it was first confiscated by the Qing Dynasty during the Jiaqing era and its subsequent return to the Palace Museum in Beijing after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

No matter how legends have been passed down, among the hundreds of versions of the painting today, the Northern Song Dynasty version created by Zhang Zeduan, preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing, undoubtedly stands out in terms of artistic excellence, content portrayal, and the representation of Northern Song Dynasty customs. 

It has no parallel in other versions. While most ancient paintings require expert authentication, this particular painting is recognizable by the average viewer when placed alongside different versions. Its sheer grandeur, richness, precision, and vividness, filled with countless stories and depth, surpass the capabilities of replication in ancient times. Even the most accomplished artists would have struggled to reproduce Zhang Zeduan’s portrayal of Bianliang. 

It’s because of these qualities that this scroll has maintained its position at the pinnacle of Chinese art history for nearly a millennium, bearing witness to the diverse facets of society and human sentiments throughout different historical eras. It has become an enduring legend in the annals of ancient Chinese painting.

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.