A friend said that the video I shared was very simple. I share these videos to let people who have no foundation in calligraphy and painting have a channel to understand art. I know there are many great gods here, but we can still exchange more in-depth knowledge in private, whether it is Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Qidan, Xixia, Sanskrit, calligraphy and painting, porcelain, jade and coins.
According to textual research, almost all the things and scenes depicted by Chou Ying in The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival have historical basis to follow. He didn't make it up out of thin air, but actually reproduced the "fireworks" in Suzhou in the middle of Ming Dynasty. Compared with Zhang Zeduan's The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, what are the unique features of Chou Ying's paintings?
From right to left, the long scroll is gradually unfolding, and the first thing that attracts attention in the suburbs outside the city is the lively "wedding map". In front of them are teams carrying lanterns and bands playing horns, drums and flutes. Followed by lanterns and red ribbons are bridesmaids and virgins. The bride is sitting in a sedan chair, including four people. The woman accompanying the sedan chair is the maid of honor. The servant behind the sedan chair is holding wedding supplies. The last two are the rider, the groom in red and the best man. This wedding scene truly reflects the wedding customs in Suzhou in the Ming Dynasty.
"Spring Opera" was one of the most popular recreational activities at that time. In the middle of Ming Dynasty, Southern Opera was very popular. The story of Chai Jing, the story of the white rabbit, the story of worshipping the moon pavilion and the story of killing dogs are called the four famous dramas of Southern Opera, also known as the "Four Wonders". Later, the Southern Opera gradually developed into four major tunes: Haiyan tune, Yu Yaoqiang tune, Yiyang tune and Kunshan tune. The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival is showing The White Rabbit. Chou Ying's theater shed is very exquisite, with wooden stakes on the top and fences hanging on it, and a plaque of "Ancient and Modern Wonders" in official script hanging horizontally under the eaves. The performance on the stage was wonderful and the audience watched it with relish. Hundreds of spectators have different expressions. Most of them are watching the play intently, some are talking, raising their hands, greeting acquaintances, and some are holding their children all the way to see the play.
On the Grand Canal outside the city, there are many waterwheels, passenger ships and small clippers. The most striking thing is an official ship. Before and after it, there are three escort ships. The main ship in the middle, Gao Xuan, is very spacious, and the hull is painted with dragons. The scene is grand and majestic. The red card hanging in the front cabin says "University". An official sat in the middle cabin, looking solemn, and his family in the back cabin were drinking tea. Shan explained that in the middle of Ming Dynasty, many scholars from Suzhou went to Beijing to be officials. According to the time calculation, this ship should be Wang Hao, a college student from Wenyuange. Chou Ying probably saw the ostentation and extravagance of the Qin Wang fleet, so he painted it carefully and vividly.
The people "debating" on the shore are also quite interesting. Although the spectators don't know what they are arguing about, it can be seen from their expressions that they are arguing because of an argument. Chou Ying painted a squire's yard behind the debating crowd. There was a squire talking to an old man with white hair in the hut. This is telling the audience that the squire and the old man are solving the dispute, which is a kind of "mediation" mechanism among the people in the Ming Dynasty.
In the Ming dynasty, Suzhou's commerce and handicrafts were very developed. Chou Ying described various shops, including many scenes of selling paintings, painting and mounting calligraphy and painting. At that time, Suzhou's painting and calligraphy mounting skills were superb, and it was known as "Wuzhuang", and it was said that "mounting is omnipotent and inclusive, unique to Wuzhong". This all-encompassing work also reflects the political, military, artistic, religious, scientific and technological aspects of Suzhou in the Ming Dynasty. As shown in the picture, scenes such as the yamen of the inspection department and the martial arts field of soldiers are unknown in Zhang Zeduan's Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival.