Originally painted on a 5.28 metre-long scroll by Chinese imperial court artist Z hang Ze Duan, this epic Song Dynasty painting gives us an in-depth view of the lifestyle and society in the capital of Bianjing (now known as Kaifeng) during the 12th century.

“Qing Ming Shang He Tu” stands out from the many customary Chinese paintings due to its panoramic capture of the richness of society, from the poor to the wealthy. A classic depiction of a Northern Song era painting, it is famous for its aesthetics and accurate geometric depiction of both natural and man-made elements. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words, and this painting is a valuable lesson in history – giving us a glimpse into the economic, cultural, customary and daily life of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Zhang Ze Duan emphasizes the rural scenery as it is the first scene to catch the viewer’s attention. As focus gradually shifts to the city, the viewer can appreciate the artist’s intention of showcasing the vast rural land with its riches of crops, animals and other resources providing for the prosperity of the city and the comforts enjoyed by the city dwellers.

Moving into the capital city, Zhang Ze Duan uses the structural grandeur of the City Gate and its buzz of activities to delineate the city from the rural areas.

Restaurants, teahouses, craftsmen shops and other small businesses portray the lifestyle of the average Song person. The marketplace is another representation used by the artist to depict everyday life, with different social classes represented by fortune-tellers, temples, beggars, and government officials’ residences.

“Many re-interpretive copies have surfaced due to the popularity of the the Qing Ming Shang He Tu.”

“Qing Ming” (清明) has several explanations. Some historians have referred “Qing Ming” to a location called “Qing Ming Square” (清明坊) in the Song Capital of Kaifeng (开封), others consider it a literal reference to the Chinese Qing Ming Festival (清明节), while others attribute it as praise of the clean governance of Emperor Song Huizong as “Qing Ming”, which in Chinese means “clean and bright”. Similarly, “Shang He” (上河) also has multiple explanations. It could literally mean the upper half of the Bian river (the main river in Kaifeng city), or it could refer to the “most important river in the country” since it is located under the watchful eyes of the emperor. A last explanation is simply going shopping by the riverside.

Thus, “Qing Ming Shang He Tu” has always been accepted to be a painting documenting the peace and prosperity enjoyed by the Song Dynasty 900 years ago under Emperor Song Huizong’s reign.

Many re-interpretive copies have surfaced due to the popularity of the the “Qing Ming Shang He Tu”. The most prominent paintings, apart from the original painting by Zhang Ze Duan, are one done by renowned Ming Dynasty artist Qiu Ying (明代仇英版), and another painted by a group of artists during the Qing Dynasty (清院版).