Popular series finds inspiration in masterpiece

Riverside Code at Qingming Festival, a popular TV series inspired by one of China's most famous paintings, recently concluded its first run on China Central Television's CCTV-8. The last episode has also been updated on streaming sites Youku and Migu, attracting 144 million views online, according to the producers during a recent seminar held in Beijing.

Starring actor Zhang Songwen and actress Bai Baihe, the drama follows an unlikely family as the members investigate a series of mysteries in Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) located in Central China's Henan province.

Drawing inspiration from Zhang Zeduan's renowned handscroll masterpiece Along the River During the Qingming Festival, the drama vividly portrays 152 architectural structures and over 120 life scenes depicted in the 587-centimeter-long, 24.8-centimeters-wide painting.

The costume design team delved into researching over 1,000 pieces of literature and historical materials from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), referencing more than 3,000 ancient paintings unearthed from archaeological sites. Based on this extensive research, they meticulously crafted over 900 garments for the characters.