China Festival ToursYou could enjoy a pleasant Chinese New Year this winter!(February 13 - February 28 )
Although not as common today as they once were, New Year's prints can still be seen in parts of China. A traditional Chinese New Year Decoration, New Year's Prints are woodblock prints used as decorations for the Chinese New Year's celebrations. Always created by farmers and local people, the art form has changed with the times and local influences.
Chinese New Year's Prints can be categorized into several distinct areas. The first category is Door Gods. They were prints which depicted warriors which were placed on doors to keep evil spirits out and invite benevolent ones to come in. The second category is Auspicious Images of Good Luck. These prints depict symbols of good luck, longevity, abundance, and fertility. This is the most colorful and fun of all the styles of New Year's Prints. The third category is Kitchen Gods. Traditionally each Chinese home had a small shrine located near the hearth, which was considered the center of the home. The Kitchen God and his wife watched over the family and reported to heaven on what the family had done for the year.
The production of the New Year Prints required Woodblocks to print the prints, paper, and ink, and required the combined expertise of an artist, woodcarver, and printer. An artist would draw the design on a piece of paper. A woodcarver would then glue the paper onto a block of wood and carefully carve away wood leaving only the outlines of the design raised. If color was wanted on the prints, several blocks would have to be carved, each for a different color. Finally, when the blocks were ready, the printer would then print the designs onto paper, one color at a time. The work was very labor intensive, but the results were spectacular.
In recent years, the art of the Near Year's Print has been making a comeback. Many artists have discovered the beauty of them and are designing and creating the colorful woodblock prints once again. Shanxi Province in northern China is China's major New Year's Print's center. Located in the Shanxi, the cities of Hanzhong, Fengxiang, Shenmu, Pucheng, and Changan are famous for their New Year's Prints. They are revitalizing the art and creating not only traditional New Year's Prints, but new designs and themes. Although fairly unknown in the west, New Year's Prints are beginning to gain in popularity and have been featured in major art museum exhibitions.
The Chinese New Year's Prints added splashes of color and affordable art to traditional Chinese homes. They were cheap and could be afforded by everyone. New Year's Prints were extremely popular and were considered a necessity for every home during the Chinese New Year. After a long absence, these wonderful works of art can be again seen in houses throughout China.
If you are interested in this tour program and if you want to modify the itinerary in any way, please feel free to contact us.
