Who painted the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival and what did it reflect?

The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival was written by Zhang Zeduan, a painter in the late Northern Song Dynasty. The whole painting is about 24 cm wide and 528 cm long. In the form of a long scroll, it depicts the bustling scene and natural scenery of Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional festival in China, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty and the banks of the Bianhe River.

There are many figures in this painting, including intellectuals, farmers, businessmen, fortune tellers, doctors, monks, telegraphs and other figures, as well as donkeys, horses, cows, camels and other livestock. There are different opinions about how many people are painted in the painting, some say 500 to 600, some say more than 700, and some say 1000. Various activities and plots are interspersed in the painting, such as going to the market, buying and selling, hanging out, drinking, chatting together, pushing a boat, pulling a car, riding a car, getting married and so on. These are all vivid; The whole painting is as vivid as the vast Yuan Ye, the vast rivers, nails and rivets on boats and cars, and small commodities on vendors.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianjing was extremely prosperous, with four rivers passing through the city and four land routes. It is a national land and water transportation center, and its commercial development ranks first in the country. At that time, its population exceeded 1 10,000. There are many lively markets, shops and even night markets in Bianjing City. On holidays, the capital is even more lively. In order to show the prosperity of Beijing, Zhang Zeduan chose the scene of Qingming, an important festival, and gave 59 performances. The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival shows the land and water transportation and busy market in the capital of Northern Song Dynasty.

The center of the Riverside Map on Qingming Festival consists of a rainbow-shaped bridge and the street surface of Qiaotou Street. At first glance, crowded and chaotic; A closer look shows that these people are from different industries and engage in various activities. There are some vendors and many tourists on the west side of the bridge. There are knives, scissors and groceries on the stall. There are tea sellers and fortune tellers. Many tourists lean against the railings by the bridge, or point at them, or watch the ships coming and going in the river. On the sidewalk in the middle of the bridge, there are bustling people; There are people who ride cars, ride horses, carry loads, drive donkeys, transport goods and push unicycles ... The south side of the bridge is connected with the street. On both sides of the street are teahouses, pubs, pawn shops and workshops. There are many vendors with big umbrellas in the open spaces on both sides of the street. The street extends eastward and westward to the quiet suburb outside the city, but there are still pedestrians on the street: some are carrying goods, some are driving ox carts to deliver goods, some are driving donkeys to pull trucks, and some stop to watch the scenery of Bianhe River.

There are many boats coming and going on the Bian River, which can be described as a race in Qian Fan. Some are parked near the dock, and some are driving in the river. Some big ships were overloaded, and the owners hired many trackers to tow them. A big ship carrying goods has passed under the bridge and will soon cross bridge opening. At this time, the boatman on this big ship is very busy. Some people stood at the top of the canopy and put down their sails; Some people are struggling to support the pole by the boat; Some people hold the ceiling of bridge opening with long poles, so that the boat can pass safely with the water. This tense scene attracted the attention of tourists on the bridge and nearby boatmen, who stood by and cheered. The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival vividly depicts the busy and tense traffic scene on the Bianhe River, adding more painting colors.