Many people have their own opinions on the word "Qingming". Most people think that Qingming refers to the solar terms, which is what we usually call Qingming Festival. This picture also depicts the scenes of people’s lives and the customs and activities at that time during the Qingming Festival.
However, some people think that the painting depicts an autumn scene, so it does not conform to the term "Qingming". Some people think that Qingming is the name of a certain street. Various theories have their own reasons and evidence, so there are many opinions. Some people believe that Qingming probably refers to "peace in the world" based on the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty".
So many people boldly speculate that maybe the author wanted to use this painting to express the meaning of "peace in the world"? As a court painter of the Hanlin Academy, there is no need to question his painting skills. He must be quite good, and his literary talent is not bad in comparison. As a literati, it is impossible to name a scroll arbitrarily. It must be decided after careful consideration.
So, if the word "Qingming" is a pun, it is not impossible. This painting is used to express the peaceful and prosperous scene of the Zhao and Song Dynasties. The life of the people living and working in peace and contentment is very consistent with the identity of the court painter.
If you look at this painting again with this inference, you will find that it really matches. What first appeared in front of people was a quiet village with only scattered houses, which seemed very quiet.
Following this was a large ship filled with goods. Through this large ship, we could see people helping each other and having fun.
Finally, there is a noisy city. There are shops on both sides of the street. People are shopping on the street. There are bustling crowds. The whole painting shows a very prosperous scene.