Along the River During the Qingming Festival depicts 824 people, more than 60 animals, and over 20 wooden boats... The scroll, more than five meters long, captures ten miles of bustling prosperity along the Bian River, as well as nearly two centuries of civilization and abundance throughout the Northern Song Dynasty.
Yet not long after this celebrated masterpiece, a tribute to an age of peace and prosperity, was completed, the Jin armies invaded in force, killing and burning the city. Fires raged through Bianjing for three days, and the Northern Song's splendor was wiped away in a single night.
This is the fading shadow of the Northern Song Empire at the height of its glory. Amid the street vendors' cries, spies and assassins from the Jin, Liao, Western Xia, Goryeo, and other states have already infiltrated the painting. The breath of death hangs over the shimmering waters and drifting clouds of the Bian River:
At the very center of the painting, on the Bian River, where boats crowd together, an apparently ordinary passenger boat is about to pass beneath the Rainbow Bridge. Its mast has not been lowered in time, and the boat seems about to crash into the bridge. The crew scramble about, people on the bank shout in alarm, and chaos erupts. A shadowy thief darts past, followed by a cloud of smoke. When it clears, 24 bodies have appeared aboard the passenger boat, leaving everyone dumbfounded...
Open this book, and an unprecedented, intricate mystery slowly unfolds, every detail woven together. Its 824 figures come to life one by one, revealing the secrets of the empire hidden within Along the River During the Qingming Festival.
The 824 characters have their own stories, which may seem unrelated, but are inextricably linked to Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Especially when I saw the 24 bodies on the passenger ship, my heart was in my throat. The author's imagination is really big and amazing! I recommend you read this book as well.