Yangjiabu New Year Posters

The small town of Yangjiabu is situated in the Weifang County of Shandong Province. It has a long history of producing traditional New Year woodblock posters which have been distributed to many parts of China and abroad. Many people travel to the small town each year to purchase the famous posters and watch the woodblock artists transform a coarse woodblock into an amazing New Year print.

The craft of making New Year posters from woodblocks was first introduced to Yangjiabu during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The craft was brought to the town by the talented Yang family who moved from Sichuan Province. The Yang family established a small shop from their home specializing in New Year woodprints which quickly grew into a productive industry. The prints thrived in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), when there were over one hundred workshops producing copies of more than one thousand pictures. Almost all households in the village were engaged in the production of New Year posters. Some printing workshops were transporting large amounts of posters to different regions. The new prints had more interesting new subjects, were of better quality and sold for lower prices. Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the production of Yangjiabu New Year prints started to decline leading to a harsh period of neglect.

After the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Yangjiabu New Year paintings began to be exhibited throughout China and abroad. In 1983, a large number of Yangjiabu posters were shown at the Chinese Art Gallery leading to much interest from overseas collectors. In the same year, the posters were on display in nine other countries including America, Europe and Africa.

In 2002, the New Year woodprint craftsman, Yang Luoshu from Yangjiabu, was awarded the honourary title of “artist of folk arts and crafts’ by UNESCO. Yang Luoshu’s woodblock prints have been displayed in many art shows and exhibitions throughout the world.

Yangjiabu New Year posters are classified as a type of colour plate woodcut poster. The first plate creates the black outline of the design onto the paper. Single coloured plates are then used to fill in the vibrant and stunning colour patterns. Bright colours are printed first on the small sections of the picture. Light colours are then added to the large sections. The main colours used in Yangjiabu New Year posters are different shades of red, yellow, purple, green, blue and black. The talented skills of the craftsmen enable them to print four or five colours on the same poster without the smallest imperfection.

This joyous Chinese folk art embraces the local flavor of Yangjiabu and the simple essence of its people. Its exaggerated images and contrast of colour have helped it achieve success throughout China. Most posters include images associated with fortune, happiness, longevity and good wishes for the New Year. Motifs include flowers, birds, mountains, rivers and characters from traditional operas and fairy tales.

Yangjiabu New Year posters have been sold all over China and exported to more than one hundred countries. Unlike many other traditional New Year posters from other areas in China, there are still many original woodblock prints from the Ming and Qing Dynasties which were untouched during the Japanese Invasion (1937-1945) and the Cultural Revolution. Yangjiabu posters are a much loved Chinese traditional folk art which can conjure a smile from any generation. With a history of over five hundred years, Yangjiabu New Year posters have found a solid place in China’s honoured list of traditional arts and crafts.