Mention the "Qingming River Map", I think everyone must have some understanding. This is the only surviving treasure seen by the Northern Song Dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan, which belongs to the national treasure level cultural relics and is one of the top ten famous paintings in China, and is now treasured in the Beijing Museum. In the form of a long scroll and using a scattered perspective composition method, the "Map of the Upper River of the Qingming Dynasty" vividly records the urban appearance of Kaifeng City at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty and the living conditions of people from all walks of life at that time.
Part of the Qingming Upper River Map
Its creative form is unique in China and even in the world. In the five-meter-long scroll, Zhang Zeduan painted a huge number of various characters, cattle, mules, donkeys and other livestock, and different forms, which are very evocative. The treatment of details can be called a leader in the painter's world. And Zhang Zeduan does not only depict the customs and daily life of the people, but also hides mysteries under the surface of commercial prosperity in his paintings. He used painting to achieve the purpose of "Qu Zhi".
The main content of the "Map of the Upper River of the Qingming Dynasty"
The whole "Qingming River Map" can probably be divided into three parts, namely: the spring light outside the outskirts of Beijing, the scene of the River, and the part of the street market in the city. Looking at the outskirts, a camel caravan first came from the northeast of Fenjing, and then a few small farm yards were dotted among the trees next to the small bridge. Next to the courtyard, there are sheep pens where villagers raise livestock, and wheat fields where grain is dried.
part
When you come to the urban-rural junction, you will be greeted by a team of married relatives. Behind the palanquin, there is also a porter carrying fish meat, indicating that the bride's mother wishes her daughter's life after marriage "fish (Yu) for many years". And in this place, a teahouse occupies the feng shui treasure of the suburban "CBD". Next to the tea house is a farmhouse and directly across the front street is a hotel. Not far away, on the dock, workers are blowing trumpets to load and unload goods. A fortune teller sets up a stall between a tea house and a hotel to tell fortunes, and there are no customers at this time.
part
And on the Bian River, it is equally lively. Boats come and go in the river, end to end. Or the hauler pulls, or the boatman rocks, some are full of goods, going up against the current, and some are moored on the shore, and they are nervously unloading. Pedestrians on the bridge point to the cargo ships in the river, while the merchants on the shore greet them warmly and call out to their merchant ships.
Song Dynasty takeaway brother
The downtown part of the city is the most emblematic place in the whole painting. Centered on tall castle towers, houses lined with rows of trees. There are tea shops, liquor stores, foot shops, butcher shops, temples, public offices, etc., and there is an endless stream of pedestrians on the street. There are officials on horseback, hawkers, "Tony Teachers" of the Song Dynasty, and Xiao Er, who is responsible for delivering takeaways. Men and women, young and old, scholars, farmers, industrialists, and merchants, three religions and nine streams, all prepared.
Crisis under prosperity
In addition to the prosperity of these streets, Zhang Zeduan also pointed out various hidden crises in the Painting of the Northern Song Dynasty, such as the scattered defense of the city, the opening of the national gate, the lack of fire protection, the invasion of the street by trade, and the hoarding of grain by merchants. As one of the largest cities in the world in the 12th century, Fenjing has a population of 1.37 million, 8 boxes and 120 squares, but most of the buildings are brick and wood structures, and fire protection can be said to be the top priority. The Court of the Northern Song Dynasty also set up a fire tower in each square to facilitate the observation of fire alarms. However, the wanghuo tower in the painting is empty, and even the two rows of barracks under the door have been converted into hotels.
Lookout Building
In addition, there is not a single guard on the wall in the painting, not even a battlement for archery. It can be seen how scattered the city defenses are! Most of the large number of ships in the picture are private ships carried by merchants in the market to carry grain. Originally, grain trading should be controlled by the government, but Emperor Huizong of Song used the official ships transporting grain to transport Huashigang, resulting in grain being controlled by merchants and the market being monopolized. The officials in charge of this matter are also constantly exploiting the grain transport team. These crises under the prosperity are what Zhang Zeduan wanted to express to Emperor Huizong of Song. However, Emperor Huizong of Song only knew how to covet pleasure, and turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the people and the emptiness of national defense, which eventually led to the humiliating result of the jingkang revolution.
Sleeping man
Zhang Zeduan's naughtiness
In the process of painting, Zhang Zeduan also had some naughty thoughts. For example, a man sleeping under a tree, zoomed in a hundred times, you can see that he actually took off his pants and slept on the ground. He also wears eye-catching red pants, which makes people can't help but be funny. Many people speculated that the man might have been tired of hurrying and sleeping under a tree for a while. Because of the hot weather, I took off my pants. In ancient societies with strict etiquette, men's performance could not be described as out of line. If there is really such a person in history, after watching the "Qingming River Map", I don't know if he will be embarrassed to have no place for himself? What other secrets did you see in the "Qingming River Map"? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section.