Many ancient Chinese paintings contain the seals and signatures of both the painter and the collector. There is one famous Chinese painting, the Qingming Festival by the Riverside , which is covered with innumerable signatures and seals, indicating it had been in the hands of many private and official collectors. The painting survived many calamities and historical shifts and was handed down to the present; some collectors even sacrificed their lives in order to preserve this art treasure.　

Qingming Festival by the Riverside (left)　

The picture was done by the Song painter Zhang Zeduan. He was a native of Shandong Province, and studied painting in his early years in Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng), the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty . Later he became a painter of the Imperial Painting Academy of the Northern Song Dynasty. Though there are not many historical records of him, his name is remembered simply because of this great art work.

Qingming Festival by the Riverside is a long colored painted scroll with a length of 528 cm and a height of 24.8 cm. It portrays the noisy street scenes of Bianjing during the Qingming Festival (a festival for the mourning of ancestors). During that time, people kept the custom of going to street fairs at the Qingming Festival. The painting has complicated scenes with rigorous structures. The painting can be divided into three parts: scenes of the suburb, the Bian River and the city streets.

In the suburban scene, farmers are working in the fields and wealthy people are returning from mourning their ancestors. The street is crowded with people on horseback, wheel carts and sedan chairs . The scene of the Bian River is the most magnificent part of the painting. The arch bridge stands like a rainbow over the river; on the bridge are streams of people bustling about, and under the bridge are numerous boats competing to move forward. Some interesting scenes are drawn in great detail. For instance, a horse has shied on the bridge, scaring a donkey and attracting many onlookers.

Bianjing was the political, economical and cultural center of the Northern Song Dynasty. Its important role in the empire is fully depicted in the painting's city street scene. The streets are lined with government mansions, residential courtyards, workshops, teahouses and grocery shops. Various wagons and people from all walks of life can be seen in the picture and convey an exciting and bustling atmosphere. The scenes in the picture are carefully arranged, forming interesting contrasts and a good sense of rhythm. The depiction of the architecture, merchants and transportation in Bianjing vividly reflects the economic boom of the Northern Song Dynasty.
There are over 550 human figures, some 60 animals, 20 wooden boats, 30 rooms and pavilions, and about 20 vehicles of various kinds in the Qingming Festival by the Riverside . Few ancient pictures have such rich content. What is more, all the figures and detailed scenes of the painting are arranged rationally, creating an effect of bustle and complexity that still remains well-ordered. All these elements reveal the painter's careful observation of life and his supreme painting skills.

Qingming Festival by the Riverside is a great and rare realistic painting. At the same time, it provides vivid visual information about business, handicrafts, architecture and transportation tools in the big metropolis of the Northern Song Dynasty