Annotation: "Qingming Scroll Annotation
David Xiang

For my annotation, I decided to highlight the appearance of a “正店,” or Zheng Dian. Based on..." (Annotation)

Annotation: "Qingming Scroll Annotation
David Xiang

For my annotation, I decided to highlight the appearance of a “正店,” or Zheng Dian. Based on..."

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Qingming Scroll Annotation

David Xiang

For my annotation, I decided to highlight the appearance of a “正店,” or Zheng Dian. Based on my own assumptions, I assumed it would be a store since this is located on the first floor of what seems to be a bustling commercial and entertainment center. The Zheng Dian is on the first floor of a large three-story building complex, with adjoining stores and restaurants. There are a lot of people crowded around this building, as well as many patrons inside on the various levels. There are couple people grouped outside this Zheng Dian, including one man sitting down, and what appears to be another man selling something. There are 4 individuals grouped around this man, and they are looking intently at his hands and what he has to offer. Perhaps he is selling incense sticks. I can also see one patron sitting inside the store, but the interior of the shop is obscured. On a larger scale, this section of the scroll is populated densely with many people, so I assume this is a more metropolitan area of the city.

Based on Ebrey’s “The Attractions of the Capital,” in the section on wine shops, it describes them as being signified with “bamboo fences and canvas awnings.”[1] I can see on the scroll that this Zheng Dian is peripherally surrounded by a fence, probably made of bamboo, and also has a canvas awning hanging from the ceiling, which makes me suspect this is a Song Dynasty wine shop. Moreover, the Ebrey reading mentions that the more luxuriant inns that also sell wine are recognizable with a red gardenia lantern covered by bamboo leaves, that is placed at the gate of an inn. If this bamboo cover is there, that means prostitutes reside inside, and can keep the guests company.[2] I cannot see the image clearly enough, but after I zoomed in, it definitely seems that the characters “Zheng Dian” are written on a lantern, with decorative features arrayed on either side. Perhaps this means that this specific Zheng Dian also has prostitutes inside and is a higher-end store/inn. That makes sense, since this establishment is in a central part of town, most likely where wealthy patrons will frequent. Thus, this store probably caters to richer people, based on its ideal location and well-designed exterior.

I also decided to do some outside research, and found a book, called “Along the River during the Qingming Festival,” by Shiu-Lan Huang and Wei-Chao Chang. The passage in this book that described the Zheng Dian confirmed a lot of my initial assumptions, and helped me understand the context of this Zheng Dian. For example, it explained that Zheng Dians, or wine shops, were allowed to brew and sell wine, after being sold wine yeast by the government.[3] There would be many Zheng Dian throughout the city and could range in size and splendor. Some were incredibly luxurious, while others were smaller-size and more casual.

Therefore, it seems safe to assume that Zheng Dian were rather common during the Song Dynasty, especially in the capital cities of either Kaifeng or Hangzhou.[4] While most scholars agree that the Qingming scroll depicts Kaifeng, the Northern Song capital, other scholars argue that it depicts an idealized city, and not any one specific city.[5] However, regardless of these interpretations, it is safe to assume that the existence of Zheng Dian’s in the commercial part of town were commonplace in any large Song city, especially a capital city.

In conclusion, this specific Zheng Dian in the Qingming scroll seems to be a wine shop. I found it interesting because the characters “Zheng Dian” were so clearly depicted and is in a popular part of the city, as there are a lot of people in this area, which to me meant that it should be a rather notable commercial establishment. As a wine shop, it seems to be on the more luxurious side, as it is located in a great part of town, and has a lantern hanging outside with decorations that seems indicative of a shop that also offers prostitutes. It has its own fencing outside, as well as an awning, and pillars that support the roof, which make for a very orderly and elegant physical appearance. The presence of potential guests outside shows that it definitely receives business. It also seems quite busy and popular, and would have made a fine place to relax, drink wine, or enjoy company. Its main customers would probably be more wealthy and upper-class Song people, most likely men, who could afford these luxuries and the free time to frequent a shop like this. Therefore, this Zheng Dian seems like a typical wine shop of the period.