Qingming Shanghe TuZheng ZeduanPortrait of an early12C Chinese City 清明上河圖(Up the River on Qingming Spring Festival)張澤端All rights reserved. Available free for non-commercial and non-profit use only Jerry Tse. London. First created May 2007. Version 2.1 Aug 2010.北宋開封History of Chinese paintingIt is generally accepted that Chinese painting began around East Jin 東晉(317-420),in the 4C.By the Tang Dynasty (618-907)the foundation of all branches of Chinese painting were laid.In Song 宋naturalism in Chinese Painting reached its zenith.The painting Qingming Shanghe Tu 清明上河圖is one of the oldest surviving painting.It is about 900to 1000years old .The original is in the Palace Museum,Beijing.It was painted in water colours on silk,which does not preserve well.It is about 400years older than the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.It is one of the most famous Chinese painting today.The bridge, a drawing based on the original .Tool sellerCart coming off the slope Drink seller Wind gauge Clearing the waySnack seller?Carrying grains?Hot foodDetail from the original versionHistory of Northern Song(Sinking in a sea prosperity)Historians divide the Dynasty of Song(960-1279)into Northern Song(960-1127) and Southern Song(1128-1279).The capital of Northern Song was Kaifeng開封.After defeated by Jin in1127,Song moved its capital to Hangzhou杭州. Song adopted a policy of shifting the power from the military to it scholar officials, with disastrous results.Its government was militarily weak but the economy enjoyed a period of prosperity not seen before.The desire of a strong government created many stories of heroines in Chinese opera.An example of this was the Female Generals of the Yang Family楊門女將.This was surprising at a time when female equality was suffering set backs from the more liberal attitudes in Tang Dynasty.As mention before,Song saw the development of Chinese paintings to new heights.In addition it created specialist academies to encourage the development of science.With the adoption of the factory system,China was on the verge of a scientific and industrial revolution,some400to600years before the West.New city plans were developed and led to the first appearance of night markets. The economy was blooming and Song saw the beginning of a commercial revolution.Even with many inventions of new weapons,militarily Song was sinking.History of the paintingAn extraordinary painting about daily life of the ordinary people .It is very rare,as most paintings are either portrait,landscape and objects like flowers or animals.The painting tells us a lot about the what daily life was like nearly a thousand year ago.Surprisingly,little is known about the painter Zheng Zeduan.He was a court painter and originally from Shandong.The length of the scroll is just over 5m.It painting has some 700+persons,83animals,29boats,13wagons etc.It depicts a street scene,which was about 7km outside the walled city of Kaifeng.It was painted for the emperor of the day.It passed through the imperial collection of Yuan,Ming and Qing Dynasty.It was stolen 4times and ended into private hands.It was in 1949that the painting was bought back to Beijing from a museum in the North-East of China.It stays in Beijing and rarely on show to the public.Reproduced from筆記《清明上河圖》abookpublished by Joint Publishing 三聯書店by 趙廣超Versions of the Version painted in Qing dynastypaintingThere are many versions ofthe painting by later artists.The one on the left is theQianlong version乾隆院本,painted by5court painters andits scene is different from theoriginal.Some versions are straight copyof the original.One reproductionwidely available today is theversion by Zhao Mengfu趙孟頫(1254-1322)of Yuan Dynasty.On the nextpage is a silkembroidery ofthe painting.A modern version for embroideryThebestway to describe the perspective of painting is from the view point of a bird flying along scenery,changing its positions as well as its heights.The scene on the left shows a high viewing point with the horizon ways above the top of the painting.On scene on the right shows the horizon is somewhere just above the tree tops.Changing view pointsInterpretation of the paintingThe traditional interpretation describesthe painting as a scene of the capitalKaifeng at the Qingming festival,inSpring.It depicts the arrival of thegrain delivery boats to the capital fromthe south China.Annually some300,000tons of grain arrived to thecapital this way.However,a new interpretation cast doubton this traditional explanation.Eightpoints were cited to support the view thatthe painting depicts scenes in theAutumn and not spring.This includedpeople using fans,“new wine”beingadvertised,water melon etc.Qingmingin this case does not refer to thefestival but to the enlightening policyof the government.I find this interpretation not veryconvincing,as none of trees in thepainting have leaves.The city wall was built in 956. So it wasabout 60-70 years when it was painted.Spring or Autumn?Trees with no leaves.Spring or Autumn?Water melons or cakes?A fan or a bag?A very large scale restaurant.There were72such large restaurantsin the capital.One of the very few female (a servant)inthe painting,reflecting the decline offemale status within society and theascendance of Confucius scholars andvalues.The Lady would eat their mealinside the sedan chair and not to be seen.The very cruel practise of feet binding wasstarted in Song.A lady carriage .Probably a family memberaccompany the lady in thesedan chair.Carpenters of thewagon repair shop.Cake for salesSellingOintmentpatches.Wind gaugeWellPharmacy A wealthyofficial’sresidence The painter askingfor direction?Official with his escorts.Tax office at the city gateCamel caravanfrom the westA wealth residencewith a lot of layaboutsThe following painting was copied by Zhao Mengfu based on the original by Zhang Zeduan. Fading due to aging has been removed from the images digitally.Forward -[PgDn]. Jump back [PgUp]. Pause and Resume without music [S].清明上河圖Countryside to the Outskirt (auto advance)Beginning in the countryside, with budding branches, as a team of donkey carrying coal into the city, passing a few cottages.Outskirt to the River BankAn official returning to the city, with the lady inside the sedan chair in the background. A well covered group leaving the city, passed some cottages. Behind were farming tending their fields, while the cows were idle.River bank to the MooringBy the mooring, grain boats were being unloaded and being sold. There were pleasure boats and passenger boats here too. Passengers could come ashore to eat and on the right side of the street there were a few drinking bars.Mooring to the Rainbow BridgeThere were a collection of boat mooring here and served by more eating places. In the foreground was a large passenger boat being pulled upstream, with crews on alert and ready to act. It also had a toilet on board.The Bridge to the Rainbow Busy AreaA boat was approach the bridge. The crews were frantically preparing the boat, lowering the mast to pass under the bridge. Some crews were the bridge and on the shore catching the ropes. It was such a drama, that it attracted a crowd of onlookers.The Rainbow Busy Area to the Shopping AreaThe busy junction on the approach to the Rainbow Bridge, here we had the first two stories house, which sell new wine. In front was a single wheel cart using as a mobile stall. Both sides of the bridge were lined stall selling snacks, tools, hot drinks. There were two wind gauges. On the bridge two sedan chairs were tried to avoid each others.Shopping district to the Exclusive Residential Area.A busy shopping street with wagon repair shop, carpenter, tea house, a eating place and a crowd of onlookers attracted by goods on sale by a street seller. The travelling wagon on the foreground pulled by oxen. A female servant attending her lady in the sedan chair.The Residential Area to the Gate TowerThe first wealthy residence with a lots of layabout sitting at the entrance. A group of sedan chairs waited for hiring. Behind them a herd of pigs. Two oxen carriages were making their way out of the city. Groups of onlookers standing on the bridge watching the water flowing below.Gate Tower to Official ResidenceA camel caravan passed through the Gate Tower. A tax office here collecting tax as merchants entered the city. Next to it is a shop selling bows and arrows. Next to that it the large three stories restaurant. In front of it was a family travelling by sedan chairs with the male company on horse back followed by servant carrying their luggage.Official ResidenceThe last house of the painting was the residence of a high official. Next to it was a pharmacy and wells providing water for the citizens. In front of the house was an official on a horse with his entourage of guards, clearing the way. A tanker carried wine (?) into the city passing a group of wealthy young men. On the top of the painting there were twoThe EndMusic–Ode to the Yellow River,the Second Movementof The Yellow River Concerto,composed by YinChengzong殷承宗,Chu Wanhua儲望華,ShengLihong盛禮洪,Liu Zhuang劉庄.Performed by YinChengzong(piano),accompanied by the Slovak RadioSymphony Orchestra.Hukou waterfall on the Yellow River. The Yellow River Concerto黃河協奏曲was based on the Yellow River Cantata黄河大合唱by Xian Xinghai冼星海,a work dating from the period of the Sino Japanese War.The cantata,itself was based on the poem written by Zhang Guangnian張光年.Leading an anti-Japanese resistance theatre troupe across the Yellow River at Hukou(Kettle Mouth),Zhang Guangian’s poem was inspired by the sound and wind of the narrow gorge and the magnificent waterfall.The piece contains themes representing anger,grace and nostalgia,illustrating various stages of the Yellow River,a symbol Chinese civilisation,a source of fertility but at the same time a force of nature.Further reading-清明上河圖筆記published by Joint Publishing三聯書店by趙廣超Countryside Outskirt River BankBridgeBar AreaShopping AreaResidential AreaTower GateOfficial Residence。
