Zhang Zeduan

Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145), born in Dongwu (now Zhucheng), with courtesy name of Zhengdao or Wenyou, was a painter in Song Dynasty.

He loved learning even as a young child and once travelled to Bianjing (now Kaifeng) for further studies and later took to painting. During Song Huizong (Emperor Hui)`s reign, he worked in the Imperial Academy, majoring in painting. He was one of the extraordinary realistic painters in the last years of North Song dynasty. Unfortunately, most of his works are missing; the few remaining two are Life along the Bian River at the Pure Brightness Festival and Boats Competing on Jinming Pond, both regarded as art treasures of ancient China.

Life along the Bian River at the Pure Brightness Festival was first presented to Emperor Hui as a tribute and still exists now with a history of more than 800 years. The painting mainly depicts the residents` life in Dongjing, then capital of North Song, and the lively scene along Bian River, with numerous shops and throngs of people. It also depicts in detail the sight of ships, fully loaded with grains and other goods, passing under the bridge over Bian River. The work is grand and imposing, being 528.7cm long and 24.8cm wide. There are altogether 587 characters of various identities, vivid both physically and spiritually, together with 13 species of animals and 9 species of plants, all extremely vivid. This masterpiece of realism is certainly precious historic material for studying the economical status and social life of North Song`s capital. His other famous work, Boats Competing on Jinming Pond portrays the lively scene of the emperor followed by his subjects in watching water fighting and dragon-boat race. The picture is 28.6 cm in length and 28.5 cm in width, almost a square. Small as it is, the picture depicts in every detail the pond`s surface, which is about 9 li in circumference, and all the scenery around. It focuses on the big and dragon-boats on the pond and all the smaller boats around them. Employing the combination of dynamic and static skills, it reveals the scene of the emperor watching the race as well as all the scenery of Jinming Pond. The picture is well-knit and strictly constructed, with its theme highlighted.

The above two works are now preserved in the Palace Museum.