Chinese New Year Posters represent a long standing and honored tradition within Chinese history. Their perseverance and popularity in the modern world are due to festive designs and spontaneity of colours within each print.
The tradition of New Year posters can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) where pictures of historic gods were posted above doors and gates to ward off evil spirits and bring luck to town residents. This tradition gradually grew within China and the pictures above the doors soon found their way on to posters and prints. New Year posters came into circulation in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when the emperor ordered the artist, Wu Daozi, to create a painting of the famous door god, Zhong Kui. This painting was then copied and distributed throughout China. New Year ink prints had become a much loved tradition by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and colour paintings grew in popularity within the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
Many Chinese New Year paintings are linked to Chinese folk stories and customs. The simplicity of the style and vibrant colours retell these ancient tales to the modern world with a stroke of a brush. Other paintings explain the rich and unique culture and customs of centuries long gone. People’s wishes and aspirations for the year ahead are often expressed through the original designs using classic Chinese symbols such as animals, landscapes, gods and goddesses. New Year posters were also used for other festivities throughout the year including weddings, births and good academic results.
New Year prints were predominantly made by rural, peasant artisans. Many artistic peasants passed down their skills and craftsmanship to their descendents. After the 1940’s, scholarly artists began to create New Year Posters which focused on the promotion of the People’s Liberation Army.
There are many forms of Chinese New year paintings including woodblock printing, stone block printing, offset printing and traditional Chinese painting. These techniques all produce powerful and informative images regarding Chinese culture and life. The craft of New Year posters is considered to be an important form of Chinese history and reflects ongoing social and cultural change within China. This joyous type of folk art has gained much praise from the international art world and continues to be acknowledged as an important and relevant Chinese custom.
Chinese New Year posters differ depending on their origin of location within China. Famous towns acknowledged for these paintings include Yangliuqing, Foshan and Weifang. Each Chinese New Year, you are certain to find traditional and new designs placed on doors and walls throughout each province.
Chinese Peasant Paintings focus on the peasant lifestyle and traditions within rural provinces throughout China. They recount the lifestyle of the 800 million peasants currently living in rural provinces. Many view these paintings as pure imagination and a vivid use of colour allows the mind to wander beyond the images into the simplistic world of the countryside.
There are currently more than forty villages, known as “painting villages” which specialize in peasant paintings. These folk paintings were first discovered during the 1950’s when peasants were encouraged to create simplistic and bold paintings to urge the masses to work towards industrialization. Peasant paintings became increasingly popular during the “Great Leap Forward” campaign from 1958 to 1960, which aimed to increase China’s industrial capacity to match western nations. Many paintings included images of hard work such as harvesting and farming. Other paintings pictured the benefits reaped from hard work and cooperation.
Freedom and nature are common themes in modern peasant paintings which display the naivety and peacefulness of the country side. The bold, bright colours and exaggerated art forms distinguish peasant paintings from many other painting styles within the world. Subjects can range from work, animals and festivals to landscapes, village customs and children.
The end of the industrialization campaign saw a rapid decrease in support and interest in peasant paintings. However, rural artisans continued to develop their skills and continued to paint surrealistic and imaginative paintings. They were supported by the Folk Arts and Crafts Commission who encouraged peasant artists to continue their art.
In the 1970’s, there was a major campaign formed which aimed to bring awareness of the unique and exaggerated style of peasant paintings to the art world. The campaign was created by Wu Tongzhang who was the director of the Jinshan Cultural Bureau. Peasant painting centers started to appear in rural towns across many provinces. This allowed rural artisans to extend their skills and for the world to discover the imaginative art works of Chinese peasants
The Chinese Peasant Painting Festival has been held three times since its beginning in 2001. It has helped attract attention to the need to continue supporting rural artisans financially and culturally. Due to urbanization, the simplicity and rural motives of peasant paintings are in danger of becoming forgotten. The essence and culture of peasant life must be protected if this art form is to survive.
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