The International Forum on Contemporary Inheritance of Traditional New Year Picture was opened on Dec 12th in the Feng Jicai Institute of Literature and Art, Tianjin University. The international forum will last from Dec 12th to Dec 16th. Experts from the Russian Embassy in China and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association, representatives from Tianjin University and the Chinese Wood-Block New Year Picture circles attended this cultural feast. 

A New Year Picture from the Feng Jicai Institute of Literature and Art, Tianjin University

There are many famous sculptures and paintings in the world including China. These precious masterpieces witnessed social changes and the development of human civilization. However, have you considered combining sculpture with painting to create new artwork? Here in China we have the Wood-Block New Year Picture.  

The carving of Chinese Wood-Block New Year Pictures is a traditional Chinese form of art, which can be traced back to more than 1000 years ago. In traditional Chinese culture, Chinese people made New Year Pictures before Spring Festival as decorations to celebrate the festival and pray for happiness for the following year. However, “In recent years, urbanization and commercialization of rural areas, and people’s indifference to New Year customs threaten the survival of Chinese Wood-Block New Year Pictures. At the same time, artisans of the elder generation passing away without passing on their knowledge, and poor inheritance conditions are also great challenges we must face. ” Said Feng Jicai at the opening ceremony. 

A Door God New Year Picture from the Feng Jicai Institute of Literature and Art, Tianjin University

According to Feng’s introduction, in order to protect folk culture, the Rescue Project of the Chinese Folk Culture was initiated at the beginning of this century. Through 15 years of effort, several areas that produce Chinese Wood-Block New Year Pictures have been listed on China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Over the past 15 years, they conducted a general investigation around the country. They not only preserved files, but they have also established a database and website for New Year Pictures. Their work greatly enlarged Chinese New Year Picture Carving’s influence and created a firmer foundation for its protection. Foreign experts were involved in this project as well. 

As time goes on, great emphasis is being placed on young adults to conserve knowledge of New Year Pictures and the skills required to carve the wooden blocks. Zhang Rongqiang, 45, a New Year Picture master from Sichuan Province, shared his efforts in passing on his knowledge of how to carve and preserve New Year Pictures. How to maintain original New Year Pictures is the crucial task of their work, said Zhang. These days, they have been trying to recover the traditional craft of New Year Pictures in Sichuan, including the extraction process and usage of natural materials. 

A New Year Picture artisan demonstrating the carving process 

Guests visited the New Powers: Exhibition of Neo Generation Inheritors of New Year Pictures, where inheritors displayed the making process of New Year Pictures on the spot. Chen Gang, from Mianzhu, Sichuan Province demonstrated how to carve on the pear-wood board. Zhang Rongqiang brought pigment he himself had extracted from Flos Sophorae, hematoxylon and other plants. Moreover, copies of three Wood-Block New Year Pictures from the Jin dynasty will be on display during this exhibition. The original Pictures are in Hermitage Museum in Russia.   

By: ZHAO HAN

Editors: QIN MIAN and CHRISTOPHER PETER CLARKE