Chinese people are used to decorat their homes with New Year pictures (nianhua) during Spring Festival, as a symbol of New Year’s greetings. They are usually placed on doors or walls, to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to the family.
Woodprint New Year paintings, one of the most distinctive wood-block art forms in China, are believed to first appear during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
The legend goes that Li Shimin, founder of the Tang Dynasty, often had nightmares about ghosts. In order to exorcise bad dreams, the emperor ordered two of his generals, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde, to guard the door of his bedroom all night.
As it was impossible for the two generals to guard him every night, the emperor asked artists to paint their portraits and paste them on the door, thus creating the “door gods” which have become the major subjects of many woodcut pictures.
The New Year woodprint painting style has waned in popularity in modern times, but a few workshops still remain.
There are several leading production bases for New Year pictures across the country - Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Mianzhu in Sichuan Province, Wuqiang in Hebei Province, Zhuxianzhen in Henan Province, Yangjiabu Village near the eastern city of Weifang, Shandong Province, and Taohuawu in Jiangsu Province.
Of all these, Yangliuqing New Year pictures are generally considered the best-preserved, with the largest stock of high quality vintage woodblocks and sketches by artisans from centuries ago.
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