Question

This Chinese ink painting shows many boats clustered together in a traffic jam under a bridge. The boats are simple, with what look like thatched roofs. Boat passengers carry long sticks for navigation. Appearing in the distant fog are several pagoda-style buildings.

Morning Boat Jam

Yüan Shang-t'ung

The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Question
Based on the examination of this seventeenth-century Chinese ink painting, Morning Boat Jam, what is the significance of this type of transportation to the Chinese community?
(1 point)
Responses

Chinese culture valued the water because it provided food.
Chinese culture valued the water because it provided food.

The Chinese refused to build bridges to promote ground transportation.
The Chinese refused to build bridges to promote ground transportation.

China's rivers were often polluted, making it unable to be used for fishing or drinking water.
China's rivers were often polluted, making it unable to be used for fishing or drinking water.

Many Chinese citizens used boats to travel for jobs, resulting in over-crowded waterways.
Many Chinese citizens used boats to travel for jobs, resulting in over-crowded waterways.
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Answer 1

Many Chinese citizens used boats to travel for jobs, resulting in over-crowded waterways.

This painting depicts crowded river traffic, showing how waterways were vital for daily travel and commerce in seventeenth‑century China.