Liaoning Provincial Museum’s “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” Unfolds at Suzhou Museum-LICC

Liaoning Provincial Museum’s “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” Unfolds at Suzhou Museum

Source: iLiaoning

2026-03-25

On March 24, the renowned masterpiece Along the River During the Qingming Festival, from the collection of the Liaoning Provincial Museum, went on display at the Suzhou Museum in East China’s Jiangsu Province. As a centerpiece of the highly anticipated exhibition “Suzhou Textile Commissioner”, the painting serves as the opening highlight of this special event, which marks the Suzhou Museum’s 20th anniversary. This version by Qiu Ying provides invaluable visual evidence for understanding the historical foundations of the Suzhou Textile Commissioner.

Hailed as an “encyclopedia of Suzhou’s urban life in the Ming Dynasty”, this long painting scroll has returned to the city for a limited time after ten years. Painted by the Ming Dynasty artist Qiu Ying, who lived in Suzhou, the work captures the essence of the city’s vibrant life, featuring elaborate architectures, bustling marketplaces, and over 2,200 meticulously depicted figures.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Suzhou’s commodity economy and cultural education reached their zenith. Along with Emperor Qianlong’s Southern Inspection Tour, Qiu Ying’s Along the River During the Qingming Festival paints a vivid picture of a flourishing metropolis where handicraft workshops stood side by side, and residents lived in prosperity and contentment—truly embodying the “most prosperous place in the mortal world” as described in the Chinese classic A Dream of Red Mansions. The establishment of the Suzhou Textile Commissioner was a direct result of the city’s deep-rooted status as a commercial and handicraft industry hub. The exhibition will run until April 26, 2026.

The Liaoning Provincial Museum and the Suzhou Museum recently signed the “Memorandum on Deepening Exchanges and Cooperation” in Suzhou. This marks the beginning of a new chapter of all-round and regular collaboration between the two museums. Furthermore, another legendary masterpiece from the collection of the Liaoning Provincial Museum, The Prosperous Suzhou, is also scheduled to be showcased at the Suzhou Museum in the near future.