Up the River During Qingming

(Up the River During) Qingming in Brief (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

In the collection of the National Palace Museum are eight handscroll paintings on the subject of "Up the River During Qingming." They can be divided into three categories: paintings attributed to the original Song dynasty artist, Zhang Zeduan (fl. early 12th c.); those attributed to the Ming dynasty painter Qiu Ying (ca. 1494-1552); and others by Qing dynasty (1644-1911) court artists. 

In terms of structure and content, the first two ultimately trace back to Zhang Zeduan's original now in the Palace Museum, Beijing. Though copies or forgeries, they include new urban elements and period features that yield different appearances compared to the prototypical Song version.      

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

Zhang Zeduan's "Up the River During Qingming" from the early 12th century in the late Northern Song period is universally recognized as one of the great masterpieces of Song genre painting. It depicts scenes of prosperity along the banks of the Bian River in Kaifeng, the Northern Song capital. With its realistic techniques in painting and legendary history in collecting, the scroll not only captured the attention of connoisseurs and collectors through the ages but also later became the focus of art-historical research in modern times.   

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

Often with numerous opinions but little agreement among scholars, "Up the River During Qingming" has even become a formal subject of study. Artists likewise adopted different perspectives, such as imitation and copying, leaving behind the innumerable versions extant today. Scholars believe that approximately a hundred versions exist nowadays in private collections and major museums around the world, demonstrating just how much influence "Up the River During Qingming" has exerted in Chinese art over the years.     

Up the River During Qingming (detail) (1644/1911) by Court paintersNational Palace Museum

The Qing court version of "Up the River During Qingming" is an 18th-century collaborative effort on the part of five artists at the Painting Academy: Chen Mei (1694-1745), Sun Hu, Jin Kun, Dai Hong, and Cheng Zhidao. The content of the painting is all-inclusive and its production refined and meticulous, integrating the specialties of the individual artists to rival the beauty of Zhang Zeduan's original.  

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1644-AD 1911) by Shen YuanNational Palace Museum

As for Shen Yuan's version of around the same period, it may differ from the Qing court painting in terms of material and coloring but throughout is almost identical in layout, objects, vehicles, and figures, offering a glimpse into how large handscroll projects were handled at the Qing Painting Academy.  

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1644-AD 1911) by AnonymousNational Palace Museum

The quality and quantity of paintings on "Up the River During Qingming" in the National Palace Museum collection are considerable, but these works are rarely displayed together. 

Now, sections from these eight scrolls are displayed online for the public to explore the different ways in which painters of the Ming and Qing dynasties interpreted the classic theme of "Up the River During Qingming" in Chinese art history.    

(Up the River During) Qingming in Brief (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

(Up the River During) Qingming in Brief

Attributed  Zhang Zeduan, Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 38 x 673.4 cm  

(Up the River During) Qingming in Brief (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

The title of this painting on the subject of “Up the River During Qingming” derives in part from Commentary on the Book of Changes: “With ease it is easily understood, and with brevity it is free of labor.” In other words, something is easy to understand when its content is plain and straightforward. The artist here therefore probably intended for the viewer to grasp the full scope of prosperity in the capital by simplifying elements of the painting.

Zhang Zeduan (style name Zhengdao), a native of Dongwu, was skilled at painting vehicles and boats, markets and bridges, and buildings of all types. The version here traditionally attributed to Zhang includes such scenes starting from the right as a rustic countryside followed by a colorful bridal procession...

the main arched bridge with a market...

areas surrounding the city walls...

...and various bridges and waterfront activities.

The method of painting the earth and trees differs markedly from those of the original by Zhang, and the brushwork here is somewhat weaker. The coloring is also more decorative and the rendering of space appears flatter, suggesting an imitation from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) instead.

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

Up the River During Qingming

Attributed to  Zhang Zeduan, handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 39.7 x 606 cm

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

This handscroll (also attributed to Zhang Zeduan) is shorter than “(Up the River During) Qingming in Brief,” the scenery here beginning with the bridal procession and followed by pulling boats by rope...

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

the arched bridge and market scene, rows of shops...

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

the area around the city walls, a mansion along the city streets...

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

...and the imperial Lake Jinming.     

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

The washes of color in this scroll are light and the expressions of the figures dramatic, the proportions also naturalistic with the horse and donkey forms elongated to emphasize their strength. The areas of earth were washed with heavier colors of blue and green, the outlines of the forms discontinuous and chaotic.  

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

Some of the major differences are the tower on the city wall featuring masonry brick construction, greater detail and refinement, and the gate changed in direction to make it frontal to the viewer. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 960-AD 1279) by Zhang Zeduan(1085-1145)National Palace Museum

As a whole, however, the brushwork is not very steady and the structures are somewhat loose. The buildings also appear to be flatter. Thus, judging from the painting method, it is probably a later imitation of “Up the River During Qingming” from the Ming dynasty.

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

Up the River During Qingming

Attributed to Qiu Ying, Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 34.8 x 804.2 cm  

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

Many imitations of “Up the River During Qingming” have been done since the Southern Song period (1127-1279), and by the middle of the Ming dynasty even more copies were in circulation. The one that apparently caught the most attention was by the renowned master Qiu Ying, and many painters vied to imitate his version. In fact, dozens of “Up the River During Qingming” scrolls with Qiu Ying’s name survive today, and three of them are in the National Palace Museum collection. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

This handscroll includes several scenes that differ from the other versions attributed to Qiu Ying, such as the stage performance, willow shooting, acrobatics, tightrope walking, and military review. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

In terms of the details for the boat race on Lake Jinming, not only are the buildings quite ornate and beautiful, the figural tiles on the eave ridges extend with exaggeration to emphasize the sumptuous and majestic quality of palace architecture. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

The activities are also unusually raucous, such as the imperial boat race to capture pennants, dance scene, and other past-times. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

The bright coloring here likewise differentiates this work from the others, including the plentiful use of mineral blue and green, cinnabar, gamboge, whitewash, and violet to create a strongly decorative and beautiful style for the painting surface. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

Other details, such as the technique for rendering the water ripples and the formulaic layering of the landscape forms, combine to suggest an illusory feeling to the space. Thus, this painting appears to be a conscious emulation of the Qiu Ying style by a Suzhou workshop artist in the Ming dynasty.

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

Up the River During Qingming

Attributed to Qiu Ying, Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 28.6 x 560 cm    

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

Of the Qiu Ying attributions for “Up the River During Qingming” in the National Palace Museum, this one is relatively shorter. It begins with scholars in the countryside and continues with a herding scene, the bridal procession...

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

The structure of the scenes in this painting, including the arrangement of figures and presentation of the boats and city walls, is similar to the other  version of “Up the River During Qingming” attributed to Qiu Ying, suggesting that the two share a common heritage. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

...the arched bridge and market, city wall and surroundings, and then to the city market and shops, ending abruptly without including the regatta on Lake Jinming. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

The structure of the scenes in this painting, including the arrangement of figures and presentation of the boats and city walls, is similar to the Guhua 001605 version of “Up the River During Qingming,” suggesting that the two share a common heritage.

However, the figures in this scroll are squatter and the lines for the clothing more formulaic.      

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu Ying(1494-1552)National Palace Museum

The distant mountains are rendered with ink outlines and then filled with mineral blue and green for emphasis, thereby increasing the beauty of the surface as well. 

Up the River During Qingming (detail) (AD 1368-AD 1644) by Qiu YingNational Palace Museum

Judging from the use of brush and ink as well as the style, this work appears far removed from Qiu Ying, the colophon in the name of Wen Zhengming dated to “the third month in spring of the Jiajing dingyou year (1537)” also spurious. This would suggest it is one of the profitable “Suzhou fakes” made in the painting workshops at Shantang in Suzhou during the Ming dynasty.  

Up the River During Qingming (detail) (1644/1911) by Court paintersNational Palace Museum

Qing Court Version of Up the River During Qingming

Qing Court Painters, handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 35.6 x 1152.8 cm

Up the River During Qingming (detail) (1644/1911) by Court paintersNational Palace Museum

This handscroll represents a collaborative effort on the part of five Painting Academy artists active in the eighteenth century at the Qing court of the Qianlong emperor. The figural scenes are especially numerous and detailed, making this painting stand out among the various versions of "Up the River During Qingming." 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1644-AD 1911) by Court paintersNational Palace Museum

This scroll can be divided into several major parts, including the rustic setting at the beginning (on the right)... 

the arched bridge and market...

city wall and surroundings...

and Lake Jinming.

In addition to the bustling figures and packed shops, there are also untrammeled literati garden settings and a magnificent imperial garden, creating for a fascinating and visually pleasing atmosphere that makes this painting a microcosm of life in China at the time.      

Up the River During Qingming (detail) (1644/1911) by Court paintersNational Palace Museum

The architectural elements accord with the rules of perspective, and the buildings and streets are all laid out in an orderly fashion, the use of proportion and distance likewise meticulously handled with great precision. 

Western-style architecture is also evident.   

The handling of brush and ink is highly refined and the coloring beautiful, making this the finest of all the "Up the River During Qingming" scrolls in the National Palace Museum collection.   

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1644-AD 1911) by Shen YuanNational Palace Museum

Up the River During Qingming

Shen Yuan, handscroll, ink and light colors on paper, 34.8 x 1185.9 cm  

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1644-AD 1911) by Shen YuanNational Palace Museum

Little is known about Shen Yuan, but he excelled at painting Buddhist figures and landscape scenes with ruled-line architecture. He served the Qing court during the Qianlong reign (1736-1795).

Shen Yuan's composition and arrangement of the scenes in this painting are almost identical to those in the Qing dynasty court version of "Up the River During Qingming."   

Up the River During Qingming, Shen Yuan, AD 1644-AD 1911, From the collection of: National Palace Museum
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Up the River During Qingming (detail), Court painters, 1644/1911, From the collection of: National Palace Museum
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It differs only in terms of certain details, such as the scene of crying by the grave during tomb-sweeping near the beginning of the rustic scene at the right and the inclusion of an inn and shops by the side of the arched bridge in the middle part. 

Up the River During Qingming, Shen Yuan, AD 1644-AD 1911, From the collection of: National Palace Museum
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Up the River During Qingming (detail), Court painters, 1644/1911, From the collection of: National Palace Museum
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There are also some discrepancies in terms of the shop names as well as the structure and painting method of the architecture, the arrangement of the garden scene in the top scholar's mansion likewise slightly different. 

Up the River During Qingming (AD 1644-AD 1911) by Shen YuanNational Palace Museum

This scroll is done on paper and mostly in ink with only a few washes of ochre added to the outlines of the figures and buildings to give it a fresh and elegant manner.

The rendering of the bridge beams, buildings, and figures is exceptionally precise and orderly, making this a fine example from the Painting Academy of the Qing dynasty court.    

Credits: Story

"A Special Exhibition of Paintings on Up the River During Qingming" is curated by Wen-e Tung, Curator of the Department of Calligraphy and Painting at the National Palace Museum. © 2020 National Palace Museum  

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