Museum crowds wait six hours to see ancient scroll

The appearance of a rare artistic treasure in Beijing over the weekend resulted in crowds waiting in line for six hours at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City.

The crowds were eager to see Along the River During the Qingming Festival, the best-known scroll painting in Chinese art history, at the Hall of Martial Valor. The work is sometimes referred to as China's Mona Lisa.

The scroll by Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145), measuring 24.8 centimeters wide and 5.29 meters long, depicts a flourishing landscape in Bianjing - today's Kaifeng in Henan province.