Qingming Festival by the Riverside (right)　

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.

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