Yangjiabu Wood Engraved Pictures
Text
Yangjiabu New Year Wood-block Prints
Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints are a type of popular folk print from Yangjiabu, Weifang City, Shandong Province. Since the second year of the reign of Longqing in the Ming Dynasty, Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints artists had started up four art stores, namely the "Hengshun", "Tongshuntang", "Wanzengcheng" and "Tianheyong" stores. During the reign of the Qianlong and Jiaqing Emperors in the Qing Dynasty, the Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints began to flourish and reached its peak in the reign of Xianfeng, when hundreds of local art stores emerged along with thousands of painting types and a large number of talented New Year wood-block prints painters, with Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints being sold across over half of China. Since 1949, the Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints, once diminished because of the wars, were revived with vigor. In 1952, 7.8 million Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints were printed. In 1979, the former Wei County Government set up the Research Institute of Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints, devoted to the excavation, sorting, research and innovation of Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints. Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints feature simple processes, exquisite craftmanshipe, bright colors and rich content. Painting themes are different for every Spring Festival, and many new ideas and new subjects are immediately reflected in the New Year wood-block prints, contributing to social progress. In addition, Yangjiabu New Year wood-block prints have indirectly recorded the Chinese residence and living conditions which are valuable for the study of ancient Chinese culture.
Yangjiabu New Year Woodprints
Yangjiabu New Year Woodprints represent a famous style of Chinese New Year pictures. They originated from Yangjiabu Village northeast of Weifang, Shandong Province on China's east coast. Ⅰ. History The production of Yangjiabu New Year pictures began during theMing Dynasty(1368-1644) over 400 years ago. Most of the original settlers in Yangjiabu Village had the family name Yang. A family book in Yangjiabu recorded that the Yang family had moved from Zitong County, Sichuan to Weifang in the 14th century, and brought with them the family trade -- making New Year woodprints. In the early period, the main subjects were gods: gate-guarding gods, gods of fortune, kitchen gods, gods of mercy. Living in constant insecurity, people prayed for protection from these deities. As soon as the wars ended and theQing Dynasty(1644-1911) consolidated itself, people in Yangjiabu picked up their old trade. New subjects appeared in the pictures of the time. Portraits of children and beautiful women reflected people's longing for a peaceful life. Dramatic scenes from folk opera plays became very popular. Yangjiabu New Year woodprints thrived in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when there were over 100 workshops producing copies of more than 1,000 pictures. Almost all households in the village were engaged in the production. Some printing workshops established countrywide business reputations. By the end of the 19th century, western printing techniques were introduced. New prints made by the imported techniques had more interesting new subjects, better quality and lower prices. Traditional Chinese folk prints entered into decline. Yangjiabu prints had a temporary revival after 1949, when formally educated artists participated in their creation. Modern subjects such as reservoirs and high-tension lines appeared on the prints.
Nianhua custom adds color to Chinese New Year
Mianzhu new year pictures originated in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), but it wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that Mianzhu City developed into a major nianhua production base. Bamboo forests are common in Mianzhu, thus the area has the resources to make woodcut prints. Yangliuqing nianhua was popular in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and northeastern China in ancient times. Taohuawu produced millions of new year pictures every year during its heyday in the Qing Dynasty. As Western painting styles spread to Suzhou in the late Qing Dynasty, local craftsmen integrated these drawing techniques into nianhua. Yangjiabu epitomize rural new year pictures to a large degree since they are largely centered on farmers’ lives and their wishes for a good harvest. Common images also include the door and kitchen gods. The door god is a celestial being believed to keep evil from entering a premises. The kitchen god is also a mythical being who is considered to be responsible for the harvest and happiness. Thus, people paste door and kitchen god images in their home in hopes of a safe and happy year with plenty of food. Toddlers are also common on nianhua. They are almost always portrayed as chubby and adorable. They are also usually shown hugging a carp since the fish symbolizes success and wealth in Chinese culture. The origins of nianhua have been traced back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220). They evolved further in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and became popular in both the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. A strong economy, mature block printing industry and abundant folk celebrations during the Spring Festival allowed nianhua to flourish during the Song Dynasty. In the then capital Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou) of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), nianhua were sold at roadside stalls and in stores ahead of Chinese New Year, according to historical documents.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 On April 18th, the opening ceremony of the 9th Yangjiabu Kite and New Year Picture Art Festival & the Fifth China (Weifang) Kite Products Fair was held at Yangjiabu Folk Tourism Park. Xing Yudou, Department-level Counselor from Shandong Culture Department, as well as city leaders such as Chu Baojie, Liu Mingke, Wang Shuhua and Wu Jianmin, attended the opening ceremony.
2 Yangjiabu's wood block printed New Year pictures have rich contents and diversified styles.
3 angjiabu's wood block printed New Year pictures have been loved by the people and have a good sale.