Zhang Zeduan

Almost everything known about Zhang Zeduan comes from a colophon of 1186 on his handscroll Along the River During the Qingming Festival. It says he came from Dongwu in Shandong, studied in the Northern Song capital, Kaifeng, and specialised in precise ruled-line painting of boats, carts, markets and bridges. The scroll, over five metres long, follows crowds of people from the countryside through the city gate. His birth and death dates are only traditional estimates.