Along the River During the Qingming Festival

A sweeping historical novel named after the legendary painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. It vividly recounts the upheaval from the Northern Song to the Southern Song. Zhang Zeduan flees an arranged marriage and arrives in Dongjing, the city of Bianliang, where he happens to meet Emperor Huizong and becomes a painter-in-waiting at the Imperial Painting Academy. Though burdened with a special destiny, he accompanies a diplomatic New Year mission to the Liao. The Song and Jin join forces against the Liao, sounding the death knell of the great empire. Deeply moved by how the Liao vanished in an instant, Zhang Zeduan paints Along the River During the Qingming Festival, depicting the many facets of Bianliang in the hope of admonishing the ruler to prepare for danger in times of peace and cherish his realm. When Jin forces invade from the north, Zhang Zeduan joins the soldiers on the city walls to defend the city, losing his left arm. Emperors Huizong and Qinzong are captured and taken north, and Gaozong ascends the throne. Zhang Zeduan paints Along the River During the Qingming Festival once more, urging the ruler to recover the lost homeland. His masterpiece wins him everlasting fame, infused with boundless patriotism. Zhang Zeduan’s fate becomes entwined with the shifting tides of history, bringing its mysteries to life.