八百多年前，北宋画家张择端以细腻的笔触描绘了汴京城美丽的清明景象，此画即是《清明上河图》。通过这卷长达5米的画卷，画家将宋朝的历史、社会风俗、宋代生活徐徐展现在我们面前，并以此“宋代风俗画”巅峰之作，进入宋代艺术史，探讨两宋风俗画的兴起、繁盛与衰落，及其在中国艺术史、历史中的重要性，从而延伸至对整个中国绘画史的梳理，以及中西风俗画风格对比解析。
Over eight hundred years ago， the Northern Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan depicted a beautiful scene at the Qingming Festival in Bianjing with his delicate brushstrokes， and this painting is known as The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival. Through this 5-meter-long scroll， the artist brings the history and social customs of the Song Dynasty to life.
This book presents a panoramic guide to life in the Song Dynasty as the “pinnacle of Song custom painting” and explores the rise and decline of custom painting in the Song Dynasty， its importance in Chinese art history， and， by extension， the history of Chinese painting， as well as a comparative analysis of the styles of Chinese and Western custom painting.
Bonnie， Ph.D. at the School of Humanities， Central Academy of Fine Arts. Her research interests are mainly in Chinese art history， and she has published articles on ancient Chinese scroll paintings and visual culture studies of Ming Dynasty images. At present， her major academic focus is on scroll paintings of the Song and Yuan dynasties and popular images of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
目錄：
Contents
Preface.............................................................................................01
Chapter ITravel in Time Through a Painting
Section 1 Tranquil Life in Bianjing Suburb........................................................002
Section 2 The Prosperous Bianhe River............................................................008
Section 3 Rainbow Bridge Known as ‘the Visual Center of Painting’...................018
Section 4 Thriving Business.............................................................................024
Section 5 Which Gate of Bianjing City Is It? ....................................................041
Section 6 Busy Urban Area.............................................................................047
Section 7 Secular Figures in the Genre Painting................................................069
Chapter II The Northern Song Dynasty Behind the Masterpiece
Section 1 Bianjing， the Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty...........................076
Section 2 An International Metropolis Supported by Citizens.............................090
Section 3 Bianhe River， Bianjing’s Lifeline........................................................096
Section 4 Water Transport of Grain， the Foundation of the Country...................103
Chapter III ‘The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival’ and the Chinese Genre Painting
Section 1 The Song Dynasty’s Genre Painting Trend.........................................112
Section 2 Life of the Song Dynasty in Genre Painting........................................129
Section 3 The Decline of Genre Painting..........................................................142
Section 4 Looking Back on Chinese and Western Genre Paintings.....................150
Chapter IV A-Thousand-Years Odyssey of ‘The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival’
Section 1 Drifting in the ‘River of History’.........................................................166
Section 2 Building up Fame While Wandering Around......................................176
Section 3 Global Study of ‘The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival’..........187
Section 4 Chinese Painting With a Long History................................................190
Section 5 Chinese Painting Closely Connected With World Culture....................197
Appendix A Brief Chinese Chronology......................................................202
內容試閱：
Preface
More than 800 years ago， a painter named Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145) of the Northern Song Dynasty portrayed a beautiful scene at the Qingming Festival with delicate brushwork. This painting is titled The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival. Over the many years since its creation， art， literature， and histories speak reverently highly of it. Perhaps because the painting disappeared shortly after creation， there have been rumors， speculations， and legends， even forgeries. The original work of Zhang Zeduan was seen by no-one. Many were eager to see it， but no one knew its whereabout. Stored in the imperial collection in the Forbidden City， it was isolated and protected from the outside world.
The winter of 1950 was an extraordinary time. The Cultural Department of the Northeast Bureau began sorting out the cultural relics and treasures. A calligraphy and painting appraisal expert， Yang Renkai (1915-2008)， was sent there. He discovered The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival， missing for more than 800 years in a temporary warehouse of the Northeast Museum (the predecessor of Liaoning Provincial Museum).
At the time of discovery of The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival， there were three works bearing that same name in the Northeast Museum. At first， the staff chose a richly colored one， leaving the real original work aside. Having extensive experience with historical objects of art， Yang Renkai recognized the original work for three reasons: First， the various chronological and preface and postscript records on the painting; second， the content of the painting is consistent with the records in the Song Dynasty literature; and third， the painting style is neat， refined， delicate， mild， and， unique to the Song Dynasty. The other two seemed obvious imitations from the Suzhou area， with content inconsistent with historical data. Naturally， Yang Renkai was very excited to find this painting lost for more than 800 years. People had searched for it since the Jingkang Incident (1125) of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) during which the army of the Jin State (1115-1234) captured the Northern Song capital and took away the emperor and his family.
Yang Renkai sorted out the photos of the painting and published them in The Records on the Ups and Downs of National Treasures compiled and printed by the Northeast Museum. The world was shocked by the news. Zheng Zhenduo， then head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration， immediately ordered the painting scroll be sent to Beijing. After further verification， research， and appraisal by experts and scholars， the painting scroll was confirmed in the The Third Volume of the Precious Collection of the Stone Moat (the imperial catalogue of paintings and calligraphies) as The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival， a masterpiece created several hundred years ago. In 1955， The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival was assigned to the Palace Museum in Beijing for preservation by the concerned departments of The State Council. After temporary homes in various locations， The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival finally returned to the Forbidden City.
This five-meter-long painting scroll depicts the bustling scenes at the Dongjiaozi Gate and along the Bianhe River in the Northern Song Dynasty’s capital Bianjing (today’s Kaifeng city of Henan Province) during the Qingming Festival. The frame can be roughly divided into three sections. The first section shows the suburb of Bianjing with trees and crisscross paths on which farmers and carriages and horses come and go. The middle section with Rainbow Bridge as the center displays the scenery on both sides of the Bianhe River. The official name of Rainbow Bridge is Shangtu Bridge， an important meeting point for waterway and land transport in Bianjing. On the bridge， horses and carriages shuttle， and vendors are crowded and bustling. A boat under the bridge is about to lower its mast and pass through the bridge archway， which attracts many passersby nervously watching. The last section focuses on the urban streets flanked by various shops and walked by various people， including gentlemen， officials， servants， soldiers， women and children， sedan bearers and beggars. From the figures in the carriages， the goods on the stalls， the characters on the shop signs， to the open fields， the vast Bianhe River， and the majestic city walls， many different but orderly scenes reproduce the scene of Bianjing of the Northern Song Dynasty in the 12th century.
Some may wonder， why do we pay so much attention to The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival? The answer is that， besides its wonderful artistry， it sheds light on a past， allowing us to visit and learn. It informs various fields. For cultural history， the details of the painting inform us on the daily life， social customs and business culture of the people in the Northern Song Dynasty. For political history， it demonstrates the important function of Bianjing as the imperial capital of the dynasty. Whether it is the landscape and layout of the city or the water transport scene of the Bianhe River， it reflects the political power of the Northern Song Dynasty in secular society. For art history and appreciation， it is the pinnacle of “Song Dynasty genre painting”， a key to understanding Song Dynasty painting.
The reason why genre painting reached the top in the Song Dynasty is based on the dynasty’s rich economy， the dynasty ruler’s love and pursuit for art and culture， as well as the spiritual needs of the citizens. So far， paintings have swept all levels of society， from the court to the outside， from the nobility to the civilians. In Song Dynasty genre paintings， there are not only prosperous urban scenes and lively business activities， but also simple farming and weaving activities and happy rural life. These works are the artistic epitome of the people’s pursuit of a better life in the Song Dynasty. In each Song Dynasty genre painting， the viewer seems to be taken back to that time full of charm and vitality.
From The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival to Song Dynasty genre painting， it represents the history and development of Chinese painting and Chinese civilization for thousands of years. The Neolithic pottery dating back 5，000 years opened up the historical narrative of Chinese painting. The Xia， Shang and Zhou Dynasties firmly embedded the image decoration in the bronze ritual vessels. Silk paintings and stone paintings of the Han Dynasty expressed the theme with lines， making them the main means of expression in Chinese painting.
Until the Wei-Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties， Chinese painting finally embarked on a stage of great development， and the theme of painting changed from expressing realistic needs with simple lines to displaying characters with fine depictions. Since then， Chinese painting has embarked on a more professional and independent development path. Gu Kaizhi’s Ode to the Goddess of Luo is a representative work of this period. Figure painting developed mature in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Compared with the figure painting in the Wei-Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties， which was mainly used poetic figures and romantic celebrities as materials， the Sui and Tang Dynasties began to take real figures as the blueprint， and developed another theme: ladies painting.
From the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty， it was a peak in the history of Chinese painting， which laid the trend of Chinese art and culture. Flower and bird painting and landscape painting became the most dazzling pearl in the history of Chinese painting. At this time， genre paintings with far-reaching influence on later generations were born， among which The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival is a representative work.
The painting of the Yuan Dynasty opened the scholars’ research on the masters of ancient art， and the rise of literati painting promoted the integration of calligraphy and painting by combining poetry and painting， which helped the Ming and Qing Dynasties to start the historical combing of Chinese painting and led the aesthetics of painting to a more microscopic brush and ink.
The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival has always had social and cultural impact. From the mid-14 century to the early 20 century， and to the present day， it has been integrated into our cultural cognition， and is an important milestone in Chinese traditional culture.
Now let’s unfold The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival to see Bianjing of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Postscript
The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival led us to experience the prosperity of a time 800 years ago. Immersing ourselves in that image， we walked from the suburbs outside the city of Bianjing to the quiet countryside. We watched the flow of people， as they came to the Bianhe River wharf outside the city. We saw busy trade with ships shuttle and dock， load and unload goods. The characters are vivid and interesting. As we pass through the scene， our eyes gradually come to the central scene—Rainbow Bridge. The dramatic advance of the ship， the tense action of the crowd and the fine design of the bridge. It all bids us stop and enjoy. We continue along the Bianhe River， passing through busy shops， tall Joyous Gate， walking carts and horses. There is a cornucopia of characters， including camel teams and visitors from foreign lands. The scene visibly intensifies as we enter the inner city. The crowded streets clearly illustrate the prosperity and development of Bianjing as an international city.
All of this urban splendor depended on the improvement of the urban system. Bianjing broke the Li-fang neighborhood system that had continued since the Sui and Tang Dynasties， thus stimulating the new vitality of this ancient city. Equally essential was， the water transport system with the capital city at its center. Continuous transports carried foods of every kind from all over the country to this international city. The rulers of northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) solved various problems in Bianjing and formed flexible policy to ensure the stability of life in this city. The historical status of Bianjing， the subject of the art， explains why some of the interest surrounding The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival.
The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival is important for its artistic status as genre painting. This leads us to wonder why genre painting rose to prominence during the Song Dynasty. Pondering the rise of genre painting in the Song Dynasty， to the climax of its prosperity， and then to the reasons for the decline， we note the close correlation between social economy and culture. As the citizen class experienced an increase in prosperity， the favor of genre painting increased. This correlation in world history is not limited to China. The rise of 17th century Dutch genre painting correlates to a rise in citizen prosperity much like that of the Song Dynasty genre painting. The popularity of genre painting continued from the Song Dynasty， through the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In particular， the Qing Dynasty court produced a large number of genre painting works， including both scenes in the court and cities outside the palace.
Over the course of history， The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival has turned the heads of many. Legends and anecdotes related to this genre paining， both brilliant and plain， emerged. Its influence gradually expanded from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties， and to the whole circle of East Asian cultures. The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival has expanded our understanding of China， Japan， and North Korea.
In the end， its charm conquered the world. Although the full historical puzzle of The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival has not been completely solved. Questions about the birth of this work of art cannot be separated from the history and development of Chinese painting. The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival is not only the cultural heritage of China， but also a historical treasure of the world.
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