The Turning of the Riverside Scene

The Zhang family of Suzhou, renowned for generations of painting and calligraphy, was framed by Cai Jing and other corrupt officials, leaving the family ruined and scattered. More than twenty years later, the Zhang family's son, Zhang Zeduan, who had been rescued and fled south to Hangzhou, changed his name to Li Zeduan. Guided by an acquaintance, he made his way to the capital, Bianliang. With a paintbrush in hand, he made a name for himself in the court and the bustling streets, navigating the worlds of Emperor Huizong, Cai Jing, and the sitting chancellor, Wang Fu. He also met Bian Lingyue, a farmer's daughter; Jin Biji, a merchant's daughter; Lan Yier; and the heroes of the Later Liangshan, led by Hua Xiaomei, the younger sister of Hua Rong. As he conceived and created the monumental painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, he endured framing by criminals, threats from Emperor Huizong, an invasion by the Jin, captivity in the north, repeated brushes with death and sudden reversals of fortune, and the painting's completion, loss, and eventual recovery. Amid such a turbulent and perilous life, he also crossed paths with the Imperial College student Chen Dong and the upright minister Li Gang. From Chen Dong, he learned the truth about his family and the vendetta he had inherited. In the end, the villains were all put to death, and Zhang Zeduan returned south to Hangzhou, where Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou personally welcomed him and the Along the River During the Qingming Festival.