This painting is a copy of the famous 'Qing Ming Shang He Tu' or 'Scene of the riverside during the Ching Ming Festival' in the Northern Song capital Bianjing, present day Kaifeng. It is believed the artist Zhang Zeduan made a few copies of the original painting and the authenticated original copy is housed in the Imperial Palace at the Forbidden City Museum in Beijing, Peoples' Republic of China.
This artistic jewel comprises 814 figures, 28 boats, some 170 trees, 20 carts, 8 sedan chairs and accurately depicts scenes of all kinds of businesses including restaurants, guesthouses, incense and herb shops, health clinic, pharmacies and various street stalls.
It is also a meticulous depiction of the ancient society and how the population went about in managing their economy, science and technology, architectural strutures, construction and ship-building engineering. The painting details markets and the famed rainbow bridge, moats and paths, boats and carts, shops and city gate, houses and dwellings, grass and trees, oxen and horses, culture and costumes. It offers a glimpse of the institutions, economy, culture and customs in the Song capital – the most prosperous metropolis in the ancient days.