Glories of a historic city reenacted in digital presentation

During his fourth inspection to southern China, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was presented with a rare long scroll of painting, Jinling Tu (Picture of Jinling, the historic name of Nanjing, Jiangsu province), from the Song Dynasty.

It depicted in a variety of vivid details a booming city scene. Qianlong liked the work so much that he ordered several of his court artists to make replicas of it. One of them by Feng Ning entered the collection of Deji Art Museum in Nanjing, in 2015.

After years of intensive research on the painting involving historians and art scholars, the museum has brought the work into the public view but in a contemporary way.

A magnified, digital version of Jinling Tu is on display at An Era in Jinling, where onlookers can be immersed in the prosperous street scenery of Jinling from centuries in the past, and tour the city with more than 500 animated figures from different walks of life being depicted in the scroll painting.

It is a journey across time to not only understand the aspects of people's social lives but also to explore the economy and culture of the Song empire. The show runs through Oct 28, 2022.