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Up the River During Qingming
Court artists, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 35.6 x 1152.8 cm

Virtual Media Tour

Many versions of the painting "Up the River During Qingming" ("Along the River During the Ching-ming Festival") have survived over the ages. Alone in the National Palace Museum collection are eight, the most famous of which is the "Qing Court Version of 'Up the River During Qingming'" (accession number Guhua 01100). This handscroll was completed through the effort and cooperation of five Qing dynasty court artists--Chen Mei, Sun Hu, Jin Kun, Dai Hong, and Cheng Zhidao. This version has been the subject of a documentary film, printed in postcard and jigsaw-puzzle form, published in a detailed study and as a children's book, produced as a multimedia disc, and even reproduced in full size. At present, a digital multimedia interactive tour designed around it is also presented in the National Palace Museum's Orientation Gallery.

This painting, done in ink and colors on silk, measures 35.6 centimeters tall by 1,152.8 centimeters long. The frontispiece includes imperial poetry by the Qianlong Emperor transcribed by his court official Liang Shizheng (1697-1763). At the end of the painting at the far left is the signature inscription of the artists that reads, "Reverently painted by Your Servants, Chen Mei, Sun Hu, Jin Kun, Dai Hong, and Cheng Zhidao, and respectfully submitted [to the Emperor] on the 15th day of the 12th month of the Qianlong first year (i.e., 1736)." Two seal impressions ("Your Servant, Mei" and "Your Servant, Sun Hu") also appear with it.

The handscroll can be roughly divided into five major sections. The first is comprised of serene rustic scenery, followed next by a section focusing on Rainbow Bridge, which also represents the climax with its crowded market scene. The third section describes the bustling activity outside the city gate, and the fourth progresses from the Pine and Bamboo (Songzhu) Hall to a large wooden bridge with scenery along both sides of the river. The last section portrays the beautiful site of Golden Brightness (Jinming) Lake.

Architectural elements throughout the handscroll were all done using the principles of Western perspective, the buildings and streets distinctly rendered in appropriate proportion. The distance between near and far has been accurately grasped, and there is even Western-style architecture found in the painting. With the brushwork throughout the handscroll precise and the coloring dazzling, this work is truly a gem of ingenuity and realism in Chinese painting.
 

Up the River During Qingming
Shen Yuan (fl. 18^th c.), Qing dynasty
Handscroll, ink and light color on paper, 34.8 x 1185.9 cm

Shen Yuan, whose native place and years of birth and death are unknown, excelled at painting Buddhist subjects and also was good at landscapes and ruled-line subjects. He served the court during the Qianlong reign (1736-1795), and his earliest record of activity in the Qing Palace Workshop Archives mentions the first year of the Qianlong reign. Since most of his dated works are from around the tenth year of the Qianlong reign, and he once cooperated with Tang Dai (1673-1752) in illustrating the "Odes of Bin," Shen Yuan's period of activity was thus probably in the early Qianlong reign.

The composition and arrangement of scenes in Shen Yuan's "Up the River During Qingming" are almost identical to the Qing court cooperative version. Only a few minor changes were made, such as the scene of crying during tomb sweeping at the front of the scroll. The location of Gold Orchid Tavern is also similar, but the tavern name, structure, and method of depiction vary slightly. Small differences can likewise be found in the garden arrangement of the official's mansion. Other changes include the homes of the wealthy, pavilion structures, and the lack of Western-style architecture. There is also the arrangement of a humorous scene of a dog overturning a food pole before the netting fish activity and after the large wooden bridge. This work was done mostly in monochrome ink with only slight washes of umber used for coloring, giving it a light and refreshing quality. Shen Yuan's brushwork is skillful and the rendition of the ruled-line bridges, buildings, and figures all done with exceptional precision, making this another gem related to the Qing court academy of painting.
 

A Painting to Celebrate Feng
Tang Dai (1673-after 1752), Sun Hu (2^nd half of 18^th c.), et al., Qing dynasty
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 393.6 x 234 cm

Liu Bang, the founding emperor Gaozu of the Han dynasty, originally was from Fengyi (modern Fengxian, Jiangsu). After proclaiming himself emperor, he settled in the capital Chang'an. His father, however, became nostalgic for their hometown, so Liu Bang had some streets of Chang'an rebuilt to imitate those of Feng. He also ordered the residents from the old hometown to move to Chang'an to thus satisfy his father's longings.

This is a cooperative work of the Qianlong-reign (1736-1795) court artists Tang Dai, Sun Hu, and Ding Guanpeng. Done in consummate detail and refinement, it shows the scenery of the newly built Feng city streets. The buildings are grand, the streets orderly, and the colors vivid--typical of the Qing court painting style.
 

Mt. Qixia
Zhang Hong (1577-ca. 1652), Ming dynasty
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 341.9 x 101.8 cm

Zhang Hong, a native of Wu Prefecture (modern Suzhou, Jiangsu), excelled at landscape painting. Using short brushstrokes and moist ink washes to depict hills and forests, his innovative compositions were unique at the time.

Zhang Hong often used actual sites for his landscape paintings, as seen here. Mt. Qixia is located near Nanjing and is famous for its temple and the Thousand-Buddha Caves. This work, dated 1634, records near and distant scenery viewed from an opposite peak by Zhang and company on a rainy day. Shown here are luxuriant and dense trees filled with mists and clouds. Figures are walking in the foreground past a small temple on a path that leads up into the mountains, creating a lively and intimate scene for the large surface of this painting.