Annotation: "Most who study the Qingming scroll conclude that it was made between 1085 and 1145 AD, and depicts Kaifeng, the..." (Annotation)

Annotation: "Most who study the Qingming scroll conclude that it was made between 1085 and 1145 AD, and depicts Kaifeng, the..."

d06f37b7-34cb-48a8-b653-943f21268ed2

Most who study the Qingming scroll conclude that it was made between 1085 and 1145 AD, and depicts Kaifeng, the Northern Capital of the Song. This period coincides with the fall of the northern Song in 1127, and though traditional scholars believe that it was painted before the fall, others suggest that the Qingming scroll was painted shortly thereafter. Regardless of when it was made, it clearly depicts a bustling, thriving Kaifeng. The scroll is an incredibly long painting that depicts in intricate detail a portion of the city of Kaifeng and its inhabitants. Although most of the painting is urban, the scenes depicted become progressively more rural as you move farther to the right. This highlighted scene appears relatively sparse at first. It depicts a few people in the rural outskirts of town. In the foreground, you can see a somewhat rundown, ramshackle house. It is only a single story tall (in contrast to some of the two-story buildings in the city) and the low walls surrounding the house are beginning to crumble. You can also see what appears to be a parent and child speaking animatedly in an area just to the left of the house on the other side of the house, between the trees, is visible a man sitting by a container of grain. He appears unperturbed and unrushed. In the background of this section of the painting, you can see large fields. This is a reminder that while commerce was bustling in the more densely populated areas, farming and agriculture still formed the livelihood of many individuals. 

Aside from the scenes of normal life depicted, you can also see two small parties of travelers, one leaving the city and one moving towards it. The leaving party consists of five men, two of whom are mounted on ungulates of some sort. They are wearing headdresses and appear to be of higher status than the other three men who are carrying packs and weapons. One may be carrying a spear, but they do not appear to be heavily armed. The party moving towards the town is larger and contains at least ten individuals. Seven members of the party are traveling on foot while one is riding a horse and another is being carried in a palanquin by two of the men on foot. While two members of the party may be armed with light spears, the group does not seem particularly well prepared to protect itself. 

What is interesting is that during the early 12th century when the Qingming scroll was created, the Northern Song was under constant threat from the various barbarian people to the north, including the powerful Jurchens, with whom the Song had briefly allied themselves in order to defeat the Liao. Given these threats to the Song people, it would make sense for them to travel in larger groups with superior weapons and armor to protect themselves from possible attacks. At the same time, however, the Song appear to have grown complacent and even though they were aware of the threats that the Jurchens and other nomadic peoples posed, they did little to prepare themselves. This is reflected in the painting, not only in this spot but throughout. There is very little evidence of a military presence or even security in Kaifeng. One would expect that the capital city of an empire would be well protected with vigilant soldiers but this is not the case. Additionally, of the twelve or more combined members of these two parties, only three ride horses. This is notable as the Song dynasty was notably undersupplied with horses for cavalry. Given this paucity of resources, it would have been unlikely for a common person to travel by horse, and even one of the presumably higher ranking travelers is being carried by two servants rather than walking or riding his own horse. The artist who painted the Qingming scroll, if he did so prior to the Jin-Song Wars, may have seen the omens of the fall of the Song, and if he painted the scroll after the fall, then it may have been a critique of the lax and complacent nature of the Song rulers and people in the face of imminent threat. Regardless, the Qingming scroll presents Kaifeng as a bustling city, blissfully unaware of the dangers of the barbarian nomads who would soon invade.