Along the River during Pure Brightness Day：Kaifeng，a Flourishing Northern Song City
Along handscroll resides among the treasures of the Beijing Palace Museum.Painted by the Song-dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan，it is known asAlong the River during Pure Brightness Day.It depicts the scenery，architecture，and people along the way and is a masterpiece，an absolute treasure.It is one of the most famous paintings in the history of Chinese painting.Inaddition to its artistic quality，surrounding its allure aremany stories that have come down through the ages.
The painting is 24.8 cm high and roughly 528 cm long.The painter Zhang Zeduan was a Shandong man from Wucheng.In his youth，he went to the capital city then known as Bian to study.During the reign of Emperor Huizong he was appointed to Hanlin Academy and applied himself exclusively to painting.
The exquisite brushwork of the painting records the capital city of Bian at the latter period of the Northern Song Dynasty（960–1127），during the reign of Huizong.It depicts the city and river，with inhabitants，architecture，along the precincts just outside the city.The work is in the form of a long scroll，meant to be viewed sequentially as it is unrolled，so that the complex scene of the painting isbothunifiedandfullofchanges.Theattireand expressions of the people depicted are all different，and they are engaged in all kinds of activities.The dynamic quality of their movement is vigorous，the compositionis detailed and has a rhythm of harmonious changes，thebrushwork is marvelous.The scroll is divided into three stages or sections.
The first section is in the mist，with sparse trees and partially obscured thatch huts，bridges，running water，old trees，and boats.Two footmen are herding donkeys withpacksloadedwithcoal.Thetopofabridgeis decorated with willows and various flowers，there are men riding horses，men shouldering carrying poles，they are all returning from the outskirts of the city where they have been sweeping graves.This section sets the time as Pure Brightness Day and establishes the setting as a kind of prelude to the rest of the painting.The middle section shows scenes along the banks of the Bian River，with grain transport boats tethered to the shore，with the awnings of many shops.Passersby are engaged in a variety of activities，resting in teahouses，getting their fortunes told，eating at shops.All is bustling and lively.In the river，boats are either being hauled by pullers or rocked by men with poles，all piled high with goods，many are docked at the banks getting their products unloaded.Crossing over the span of the river is a large bridge of wooden construction，something like a flying rainbow.One large boat is just waiting to pass through the opening of its arch，with people both inside and outsidetheboatbusilypreparing.Thelastsection features a large city tower.There are teashops，wineshops，shops for footwear，butchers，and temples.In the shops are all manner of goods and customers，precious incense and paper horses for burning at the graves，there are apothecaries on both sides，cart repair，fortune telling，all kinds of trades and all kinds of people，from peddlers to gentlemen to scholars to the townspeople.Barefooted monks，visitors from the countryside，children listening to stories，sons of wealthy families drinking to their fill，men，women，old and young，scholars，farmers，workers，tradesmen，people of all religions and persuasions passalong.The humanity in the painting is itself flowing likea river that never stops.
In the total length of approximately five meters of painting，the painting depicts over 550 types of people，also some fifty or sixty animals，plus twenty bridges and more than twenty boats.The bridges and city towers are careful in detail，showing the special construction of Song-Dynasty architecture.
This Northern-Song-Dynasty painting shows one corner of life in the capital of Bian.It shows a high level of economic attainment，of agriculture，handicrafts，a flourishing commerce，a culture that is fast developing andthatputemphasisonintellectuals.Inmilitary matters，however，the Northern Song was extremely weak.In order to strengthen its military defenses it expended a large amount on its army，to the extent that national granaries were emptied and national strength declined.Facing annual crises，the country’s territory was encroached upon，soldiers had no fighting spirit and were generally defeated.The Song Emperor Huizong and his son Qinzong were taken as prisoners by the Jin army，and territories to the north of the Yellow River fell under the control of northern enemies.