Library

"Tokyo Menghua Lu" was written in 1147 and first published in 1187. It is a notebook written by Meng Yuanlao, a survivor of the Northern Song Dynasty, who traces the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, Tokyo (also known as Bianjing and Bianliang, today's Kaifeng, Henan) from Chongning to Xuanhe (1102-1125). The book consists of ten volumes, detailing the panoramic view of life and urban style in Tokyo from the nobles to the common people, covering urban layout, rivers and alleys, shops and stalls, food and daily life, eating, drinking and entertainment, annual goods, regulations and systems, Customs, etiquette, etc., Everything is covered in detail. It is the only ukiyo-e and style painting that comprehensively records Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty so far. It complements Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and can be called a written version of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". It is of high value for future generations to study the urban layout, architecture, transportation, industries, folk customs, goods, food, age, geography and even meteorology of the Song Dynasty.