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A storyteller regales a small crowd. Among the crowd, there are a literatus, a Daoist, and monk listening to the storyteller.

A storyteller regales a small crowd. Among the crowd, there are a literatus, a Daoist, and monk listening to the storyteller.

A Tax Office located besides the entrance gate of the city. It taxes all the goods passing through the gate. Merchants stand with their goods in front of an official writing at a table. They may be paying a value-added tax on the goods they are…

A Buddhist temple is located outside of the city. On both sides of the entrance gate are the guardian deities. A monk is standing in front of the temple.

These thatched-roof cottages, unique to the rural area in the scroll, provide a distinct contrast to the titled rooftop that are seen throughout the entire painting.

The tiled rooftop is by far the most ubiquitous architectural element seen in the scroll. Aside from the few thatched-roof cottages in the rural area in the beginning of the scroll, every single building in the scroll has a titled rooftop.

Here,…

The tow-rope reaches its end on the path above the river, where five trackers are pulling it upstream, against the current. (Hansen, 1996b, sec.12)

Water supply in the Northern Song capital of Kaifeng is scant. While people are permitted to use them, they are not allowed to dig new wells as they see fit. In the year 1046, responding to various plea for greater water supply, the Northern Song…

A wheel shop located on the busy street.A wheelwright and his apprentice work in their small shop. The wheelwright gently taps the wooden sections of the wheel onto the spokes with a mallet, while his apprentice readies new wooden sections. They are…