Vintage Silk Embroidery scroll - Along the River During the Qingming Festival

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Vintage Silk Embroidery scroll - Along the River During the Qingming Festival
This is an embroidery done by the famous Suzhounese silk embroiderers. It is in a box that has some wear. Very beautiful piece. I do not know the age but I think made in the 60's or 70's.
15.5" Tall
70" Long
The scroll is meant to be viewed, as in all ancient Chinese works, from right to left. The poem on the far left is a ‘newer’ addition, said to have been written by Emperor Qian Long in the Qing dynasty.
The poem means:
A wall of gold has been mounted on Shu brocade
Craftsmen from Wu collect spare change
To pay tribute to the abundance of a myriad of families.
The watchtowers of the city rise to great heights.
The bustling scene is truly impressive.
It is a chance to explore vestiges of bygone days.
At that time, people marveled at the size of Yu
And now, we lament the fates of Hui and Qin.
Along the River During the Qingming Festival is a panoramic painting by Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145).
It captures the daily life of people and the landscape of the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng, from the Song period. The theme celebrates the festive spirit and worldly commotion at the Qingming Festival, rather than the holiday's ceremonial aspects, such as tomb sweeping and prayers. The entire piece was painted in hand scroll format and the content reveals the lifestyle of all levels of the society from rich to poor as well as different economic activities in rural areas and the city. It offers glimpses of period clothing and architecture. As an artistic creation, the piece has been revered and court artists of subsequent dynasties have made several re-interpretive replicas. It is considered to be the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings, and it has been called "China's Mona Lisa."
Over the centuries, the Qingming scroll was collected and kept among numerous private owners, before it eventually returned to public ownership. The painting was a particular favorite of emperor Puyi, who took the Song Dynasty original (25.5 by 525 cm) (10 in by 17 ft 3 in)with him to Manchukuo. It was later re-purchased in 1945 and kept at the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City.
About 20 to 30 variations on this topic by artists of subsequent dynasties were made. Several Ming and Qing versions can be found in public and private collections around the world. Each version follows the overall composition of the original fairly faithfully, however, the details often vary widely. The Song Dynasty original and the Qing version, in the Beijing and Taipei Palace Museums respectively, are regarded as national treasures and are exhibited only for brief periods every few years. For instance, the wait in Beijing to see the painting was three and a half hours.
Chinese embroidery
Chinese embroidery refers to embroidery created by any of the cultures located in the area that makes up modern China. It is some of the oldest extant needlework. The four major regional styles of Chinese embroidery are Suzhou embroidery (Su Xiu), Hunan embroidery (Xiang Xiu), Guangdong embroidery (Yue Xiu) and Sichuan embroidery (Shu Xiu). All of them are nominated as Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Chinese embroidery has a long history since Neolithic age. Because of the quality of silk fiber, most Chinese fine embroideries are made in silk. Some ancient vestiges of silk production have been found in various Neolithic sites dating back 5,000-6,000 years in China. Currently the earliest real sample of silk embroidery discovered in China is from a tomb in Mashan in Hubei province identified with the Zhanguo period (5th-3rd centuries BC). After the opening of Silk Route in Han Dynasty, the silk production and trade became flourishing. In 14th century, the Chinese silk embroidery production reached its high peak. Several major silk embroidery styles had been developed, like Song Jin (Song embroidery) in Suzhou, Yun Jin (Cloud embroidery) in Nanjing and Shu Jin (Shu embroidery) in Sichuan.
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