Zhuxian Town Woodblock New Year Painting
With a history of over 800 years, Zhuxian Town Woodblock
New
Year pictures are one of the oldest folk woodblock arts in China. Zhuxian
Town is near Kaifeng,
capital city in central Henan
Province
.
Local people still adopt the traditional techniques to produce New Year
pictures now. Zhuxian New Year Picture originated in the Song Dynasty,
flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
There used to be more than 300 picture workshops. But
they were reduced to no more than 70 at the end of the Qing
Dynasty
.
The themes vary from portraits of martial and
intellectual gods to portraits of spirits. The themes are classified into three
categories: 1. Exorcising ghosts
and conferring blessing; 2. Propitious gods and customs; 3. Theatrical
and historical legends.
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