Up the River During Qingming

The brush and ink, coloring, and section arrangements in this painting are all similar to two other National Palace Museum handscrolls in the name of Qiu Ying (Guhua 001605 and Guhua 001606). The beginning of the scroll here at the right includes a scene of herding goats followed by the bridal procession, a stage performance with a crowd, people making their way, and boats moored and plying the waterway. There are also figures who have dived into the water to fetch the mast line for pulling the boat. In the middle section are the arched bridge and market scene, city wall and surroundings, city streets, and shops and vendors. From beginning to end, where the dragon-boat regatta takes place on the imperial lake, all is rendered with exceptional detail. The landscape forms in the painting are outlined with ink strokes and then washed with mineral blue and green colors, being highlighted with lines brushed in gold as well. The treatment of space is also logical, making this one of the finer copies among the many on this subject. This painting was bequeathed by Mr. Li Shih-tseng (1881-1973), and it entered the National Palace Museum collection in 1986.