Poems of Spring Cattle in the Yellow Calendar

Cattle are livestock closely related to agriculture, production and life. Cattle are closely associated with people's lives, and people also create the image of "cow" in various works of art, so it is common to print and post spring cow paintings in the producing areas of New Year pictures. The composition and layout of spring cattle maps in Shandong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places are relatively simple and clear. The spring cow pictures of Taohuawu, Suzhou, Shanghai and other small schools have various forms, which are mostly accompanied by auspiciousness, eulogy, wealth and stories, such as the spring cow pictures in Hongfu Tianqi.

The column "Beauty of New Year Pictures" in Paper Art Review presents the spring cattle in New Year pictures.

As a big agricultural country, China has regarded agriculture as the foundation of its country since ancient times. Cattle are closely related to farming, production and life, such as farmers plowing, pulling carts, grinding houses, meat and so on. Cattle are closely related to people's lives, and people have also created the image of "cattle" in various works of art, which are either the "Spring Cattle Map" related to farming, or derived from the "King of Cattle", or the meaning of auspicious and festive Spring Festival, which embodies the general public.

Spring Cattle Map (Part) wei county, Shandong Province

Every Spring Festival, everything revives and spring returns to the earth. There is a custom of welcoming the spring and playing spring. Cattle raising is an indispensable and important role in the Spring Festival "whipping spring cattle" ceremony. "Whipping Spring Cattle" refers to welcoming local specially-made cattle in front of the government, which is whipped by special personnel, also called "spring beating". The details of the ceremony were arranged according to heavenly stems and earthly branches's Five Elements. In ancient times, people sent cows to winter to welcome spring, and reminded people that spring ploughing was about to begin and encouraged farmers to work hard. In China, the custom of shaping local cattle has a long history. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, Duke Zhou asked local cattle to predict farming in spring. Song Gaocheng's "Ji Yuan of the Afterlife" records: "Duke Zhou only made local cattle in the spring. Cover it with local cattle to show that farming is sooner or later. " In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was also described in the Book of Rites: "On the day of beginning of spring ... Niu Geng people were shut out to show their protest". With the increasingly rich custom of welcoming the Spring Festival, the Mang God appeared. Mang God, also known as Ju Mang and Gou Mang, is the god of spring, in charge of the growth of vegetation and everything. He is regarded as a wooden official, known as the "God of Spring", and the "Sacrifice to Di Qing and Ju Mang at the Beginning of Spring" has become a custom. In the Book of Rites of Sui Shu, there is a record of beating cattle with colorful sticks, which is the spring beating of later generations. "Dream of China in Tokyo" recorded in the Northern Song Dynasty: "The day before beginning of spring, Kaifeng spring cattle entered the forbidden area to whip spring. In Kaifeng and Xiangfu counties, spring cattle are placed at the doorstep. It's definitely a day early, and the government is playing spring, such as Zhou Fang's musical instrument. Around the house, people who sell Koharu cattle often sit on columns with flowers, with hundreds of people in a row, with their doubts. " It describes the scene in Song Dynasty when beginning of spring put a spring cow in front of the yamen the day before yesterday, and the next morning, the spring came out suddenly. In the Ming Dynasty, the day before beginning of spring, Jing led his subordinate officials to welcome the Spring Festival, welcomed the local cows and mang gods from the east of the city into the mansion, and then went to see the emperor, empress dowager, maid-in-waiting and prince in turn. At this time, Tu Niu and Mang Shen have been equipped with colorful pavilions, resplendent and magnificent, made by workers. Dong Liu, an Amin, also wrote in The Scenery of the Jingshi: "When beginning of spring was staying, state and county officials paid tribute to Ju Mang, and everyone beat cattle with colored sticks to persuade farmers." Point out the function of whipping spring cattle. The Spring Fight in Qing Dynasty followed the Ming system. When Pan Rongbi described beginning of spring in The Sound of Emperor Jing Ji, "Apart from whipping the spring in various ministries, the Imperial Capital also used paintings to make mountain gods and cows". Lu Gu, a writer from A Qing, said in the Suzhou local chronicles Jia Qinglu: "On the day of beginning of spring, the prefect gathered in the yamen and chopped the cow, which was called spring beating. Farmers compete to feed spring cattle with marijuana, wheat and Mi Dou, and Xu Li feeds them with spring balls, which is a good sign. The people bought the Manshen Spring Cattle Pavilion and put it in the class. " In addition, Jia Qinglu also recorded Suzhou's New Year's Day: "The beauty of Suzhou is especially contested by tourists. People who buy paintings (that is, New Year pictures) gather in Sanqing Hall, and the villagers compete with the mountain gods to buy paintings of spring cows. " At this time, the image of spring cattle symbolizing bumper harvest became popular.

The New Year picture "Spring Cattle Map" shows people's prayers for good weather and good harvests. Some have solar terms tables, and some are auspicious pictures with the theme of spring cattle. It is common to have a calendar chart. There are 24 solar terms and calendars in a year, which can guide farmers' production in a year. The pattern of Spring Cattle New Year pictures is stylized, mainly composed of Mang God and Spring Cattle. The image of Mang God has certain norms. Most of them are shepherds with handsome appearance, double bun on their heads and wicker whip in their hands, and their shoes and standing posture are quite particular. If the mountain god is barefoot, it indicates that there will be more rain in the coming year, so pay attention to flood control; If Mangshen wears shoes, it indicates that the weather will be dry in the coming year and should be irrigated in time; If one foot is full and the other foot is bare, it indicates that there will be a good harvest in the coming year with moderate rain and favorable weather. In addition, if God is in front of the cow, it means that beginning of spring Day is in the twelfth month before the Spring Festival, reminding people that spring comes early and should be sown in time so as not to miss the farming season; If the mountain god is behind the cow, it means that beginning of spring Day is in the first month after the Spring Festival of that year, and the frozen soil has not been solved, so it is not appropriate to plough early. The image of a cow in "The Picture of a Spring Cow" is also a common cow. The curve turning of its head makes it look strong, while the meticulous description of its body and hair is often unscathed and its roots are distinct, which requires a high demand on the sculptor.

It is quite common to print and post pictures of spring cattle in various producing areas of Chinese New Year pictures. Generally speaking, the composition and layout of spring cattle maps in Shandong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places are relatively simple and clear, and the size specifications are not large, mainly highlighting the images of Mang Shen and Spring Cattle; In the southern Taohuawu, Suzhou, Shanghai and other places, the spring cow maps are diverse, and most of them are accompanied by auspiciousness, blessing, wealth and stories. The pictures are rich in content and profound in meaning. In particular, the pictures of spring cattle printed in Taohuawu in the Qing Dynasty are various, such as "Blessing for the Monkey" and "Blessing both life and happiness", which are very popular in other places. For example, the picture of a spring cow in "Hongfu Apocalypse" shows the four characters of "Hongfu Apocalypse", in which God bless the people, just Tan Xuan, Li Shiguan and other blessed and rich figures are painted in the gap, while the main picture is decorated with the twelve zodiac animals. At the top of the screen, on the left and right sides are the month table and the date of happy scraping, which means to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Because the pot often burns, besides the ash at the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to choose an auspicious day, so this scraping chart is set up. On the left and right are scenes of farmers cultivating and harvesting, surrounded by sixty characters. In the middle, the savage god is whipping the spring cow, pointing out the theme. Because there is a cornucopia on the cow's back and there are many auspicious figures in the painting, this work can also be described as "the picture of a spring cow" in the form of auspicious paintings. In the Picture of Spring Cattle, Tianguan, Chrysanthemum, Plum Blossom, Osmanthus fragrans and other flowers are filled with double tick characters, with Tianguan and Flower Girl in Tian Zi's arms at the top, a huge pattern at the bottom, surrounded by Spring Cattle, Mangshen and Twelve Flowers, and the outer frame is arranged in heavenly stems and earthly branches characters. The blanks on both sides of the picture change in turn according to the different months, days and months of the 24 solar terms every year, just like the solar terms table on the "kitchen horse". The calendar and picture of this New Year picture are two different pieces. Only calendar plates of different years are needed for printing, and the main plates are mostly fixed and have not been changed for many years. In addition, there is a picture of a long-lived spring cow, which is basically similar in form to the picture of a spring cow.

Hongfu Tianqi Spring Cattle Map Taohuawu, Suzhou, Jiangsu

Spring cattle map Taohuawu, Suzhou, Jiangsu

In the thirty-second year of the Republic of China, Fu Shou Shuang Quan Twelve Flowers God Spring Cattle Map Taohuawu, Suzhou, Jiangsu

Twelve Flowers of Spring Cattle's Double Life in 32 Years (Partial)

In addition, Suzhou Taohuawu also has a picture of a spring cow in the twenty-fifth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, which is also in the form of a calendar painting. There are twelve months engraved on the map (30 days in the big month and 29 days in the small month), and each month has two solar terms, totaling 24 solar terms, which is an important basis for agricultural work. The circular composition of this picture is the image of Mang God, Spring Cow and Spring Official. Four pictures were also drawn on both sides, namely, spinning to support grandma, drowning a woman and hurting a child, scolding her mother for biting a snake and abusing her daughter-in-law. People should respect the old and love the young, and don't abuse their mothers and daughters-in-law, which is of certain significance to a good education. The picture frame is painted with peony, lotus and other branches and flowers, and sometimes the zodiac makes the picture richer. The color of the whole picture is only black and blue, but there are no festive colors such as red and orange, which is for the special purpose of mourning. Another picture, Wealth Map of Spring Cattle in Twenty-one Years, combines the God of Wealth and Spring Cattle into one, which shows people's simple desire to pray for good fortune and good weather in the New Year. In the first half of the picture, the god of wealth sits in the middle, surrounded by lucky messengers, officials who benefit the city, bangs and good luck. In the second half, the spring cow carrying the cornucopia is shown, followed by the spring official, and the courtiers beat gongs and drums to celebrate warmly. This kind of New Year pictures is an old version of the Qing Dynasty, and the years are changing year by year. The rest are all old-fashioned, and the blanks on both sides are also solar terms tables, which have not been printed yet.

Spring cattle in the twenty-fifth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty; Jiangsu Taohuawu.

Get rich in the 2nd1year. Spring cattle map Taohuawu, Suzhou, Jiangsu

In new york State University and Shanghai Primary School, there are also several pictures of spring cattle, all of which were printed during the Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty. One of them, the spring cow whipped in Guangxu eight years, wore the official clothes of the Qing Dynasty, and the people around him dressed as Qing people, which had a distinct imprint of the times. The most special thing is that in the foreground, there is a "Houji Temple" with memorial tablets and candles on the altar. Because Hou Ji is regarded as the god of agricultural reclamation, this picture is set up, which is only available in the New Year pictures of Shanghai primary schools. Another picture, Spring Cattle in the Twenty-seventh Year of Guangxu, printed by Shen Xiao of new york State University, depicts the scene of the emperor whipping the spring cattle. The emperor sat at the top of the picture, followed by attendants holding fans and armored guards, and the civil and military officials were symmetrically arranged on both sides. The characters in the picture are all watching the scene of whipping spring cattle. The composition of this picture is similar to Suzhou Taohuawu's "Twenty-one Year Rich Spring Cattle", which shows the mutual influence of New Year pictures in the two places.

The genre of Shandong Spring Farming-related New Year pictures is a common "big horizontal comment" in Weixian New Year pictures, that is, the banner composition is three cuts. In addition to the traditional "Spring Cattle Map", there is also a theme of farming. At the top of one of the pictures of spring cattle, there is a line that reads: "Spring Festival is auspicious, everyone is lucky, farmers are blessed with a bumper harvest, business is prosperous, going out is happy, opening is auspicious, building a house is prosperous for everyone, and there is no disaster." Some people encounter New Year pictures, and their wealth is prosperous. " There is also "a bumper harvest in the Taiping year, short work is difficult, the food in the East Village is good, and Xizhuang pays more." In the middle painting, I drew auspicious symbols, such as the star descending from heaven and the double chrysanthemum. There are four hoes on the right side of the picture, and three people are sitting eating cakes, which means that fewer people live much more. At the bottom of the screen is the scene where East and West villages compete for short-term jobs and whip spring cattle. This picture has no calendar, solar terms and other pictures, so it is pasted as a general auspicious New Year picture. Another "Spring Cattle Map in the Thirty-first Year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty" depicts the day before beginning of spring, people led people to welcome the arrival of spring cattle. There is an elephant behind him, and there are bystanders holding the banner of "Vientiane Renewal". There is a awn whip on the right side of the corresponding picture to drive away the spring cattle. In the picture, a servant holds a spring card and kneels to meet the spring cow. On the back, flowers of the four seasons and Panasonic farmers are painted, which means that "a year's plan lies in spring". I hope that the spring ploughing will be smooth and the weather will be good. Twenty-four solar terms are written at the beginning of the painting to remind and guide farmers to farm. The theme of the poem, "Winter goes to spring, more heating, Vientiane updates Pepsi and harmony, celebrates happiness, and the grain is abundant and peaceful" points out.

Spring Cattle Map in wei county, Shandong Province

In the 31st year of Guangxu reign in Qing Dynasty, a picture of spring cattle was displayed in wei county.

The New Year picture showing farming in Wei County is February 2nd. Although this picture is different from the picture of spring cattle, it also shows the theme of spring ploughing. Fu Cha Dunchong's "Yanjing Years" in Qing Dynasty reads: "On February 2 nd, the ancient Chinese Peace Festival was also held, and today people call the dragon to look up." "February 2" is related to the "fright" in the 24 solar terms. After the fright, the earth revived and everything revived. People expect the birth of the dragon to shock all insects and expect a bumper harvest. There is also a saying in folk proverbs that "on February 2, the dragon rises, and everyone is a scalper". In the painting, the minister guards the emperor to plow the fields, and the queen in the palace delivers meals, which reflects the people's expectation that the emperor will know the sufferings of farmers, the country will be rich and the people will be safe, and the grain will be plentiful. According to the legend of local artists, this New Year picture was given to Zhu Yuanzhang by the painter to persuade him to give up, pay attention to production and let the people live and work in peace and contentment.

On February 2nd, Longtaitou, wei county, Shandong Province.

On February 2nd, the dragon looked up (partially).

Spring cattle pictures in Shanxi New Year pictures are mostly distributed in Xinjiang and Linfen in the south of Shanxi, with the same painting style. The only difference is whether there is a calendar or not. Among them, there is a picture of a spring cow without a calendar, with a picture of a mountain god and a spring cow on its back, and there is a proverb poem entitled: "I am the spring cow above, and I was sent to travel everywhere without eating grass and forage, but Dan ate a small head to eliminate the disaster." At the bottom, there are the words "three people and nine cakes, and the grain is abundant", which symbolizes that there is more than enough to eat. Another "Thirty-two Years of Spring Cow" is marked on the calendar with a slightly different poem: "I am the spring cow above, and I have come to travel all over the world. The grain is abundant, singing praises, and there are more than three Noliya, more than thirty and less than nine. " The words "Nuoli" and "Thirty" here are arranged according to the date of the dry branch after the first day of the first month. For example, the third day of the first month of that year was Noni, and the ninth day was the third day. This year was called "Sannoni". Shanxi Spring Cattle Map not only has the meaning of praying to God for agricultural production, but also has the function of eliminating disasters, which is very popular in southern Shanxi. In Linfen, there is also the custom of pasting spring cattle with paper at God's meeting. People will share walnuts, red dates, peanuts, etc. in the belly of paper-pasted spring cattle, which means good luck.

Spring cattle map Linfen, Shanxi

Spring cattle map Linfen, Shanxi

The pictures of spring cows in Fengxiang New Year Pictures in Shaanxi can be divided into two types: Rui and Sancai, and one of the new varieties is the pictures of spring cows that keep up with current events. There are two long and narrow pictures with Rui as the genre in the spring cow picture. The main pattern on the right is composed of cattle and Ju Mang, and the auspicious words are engraved on the fan-shaped window above: "Spring breaks today, and the annual income is guaranteed to be 10%. Harvest (harvest) turns into gold, buying and selling into gold, and sitting (making) official products will be rich for thousands of years." The picture on the left shows the combination of the white elephant and the celestial official. The title "Spring Poetry" is entitled "The year of the new king's accession to the throne, the harvest is abundant, everyone knows the white elephant, and Xie Tian sings a big drama to pay tribute to it". At the bottom of the picture, next to Tianguan, there is a picture of two ponies under a horse, which symbolizes the prosperity and harvest of agriculture. This form of "Spring Cattle Map" is only available in Fengxiang, Shaanxi Province in the National New Year Pictures, and is used locally as a spring post posted during the Spring Festival. In another traditional picture of Spring Festival travel rush and cattle in Fengxiang, Mang Shen is dressed in a suit, barefoot and full of shoes, which indicates good weather. In the picture, a cow is hunched over a cash cow, and a bat is flying next to it, which indicates that "Fu" is coming. Up and down enclosure, zodiac map, left and right enclosure spread. The picture is divided into six frames, with the words "sheep and mice don't reach their heads, tigers and snakes are like knives, pigs are afraid of monkeys, chickens and dogs don't meet, dragons and rabbits leave, and white horses turn against green cows". This is the reference for people to marry in ancient times, and it is the product of cultural lag. There are many similar variants of this kind of picture in Fengxiang, but they are slightly different in clothing and text arrangement.

Spring cattle map Fengxiang, Shaanxi

Spring cattle map Fengxiang, Shaanxi

Fengxiang's more distinctive spring bull painting is a new style to improve New Year pictures in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. In the picture, the figure has a tassel hat on his head, an armed robe, epaulettes, a belt around his waist, gold thread on his sleeve, and a pattern embroidered with China's embroidered robe, and a cliff on the sea. Judging from the clothes, it looks like Yuan Shikai, with the words "Three-year New Calendar" written on the lamp behind him, and a bodyguard kneeling on one foot in front of him, holding the "Happy New Year" spring card in his hand, announcing that spring has arrived. The picture on the left shows a guard wearing a hat, a suit jacket, a bandage on his leg and a five-color northern sign, standing next to an elephant holding a cash cow. On the right side of the picture, a mang god in the same costume, bareheaded and barefoot, stands behind a spring cow carrying a camel and a pot. In the blank of the picture, the title is "Good weather, peaceful country and safe people". Although this work is a new type of "Spring Cattle Map" in the ancient costume period, its form still draws lessons from the picture forms of welcoming the spring and beating the spring, and has a certain inheritance relationship with the traditional "Spring Cattle Map". The clothes of the characters in the picture and the ""in their hands also reflect the mixed Chinese and western clothes and the unstable political situation after the Xinhai, which has important historical research value.

Fengxiang, Shaanxi, good weather, peace and prosperity.

In addition to the "Spring Cattle Map" widely circulated in various places, in ancient China, where agriculture was the main productive force, cattle gods, cattle kings and their activities were also common. In the Qin dynasty, there was a custom of offering sacrifices to the ox god. According to Xu's Jade Sagger, the 25th day of the seventh lunar month is the birthday of Niu Wang, and people burn incense and offer sacrifices on this day. The resulting paper horses, such as the god of ox king, the king of ox and horse, and the prosperity of six animals, are also scattered in the origin of New Year pictures. Because cows are hard-working by nature, they are necessary auxiliary labor for farmers and have a kind image. The "ox king" in Paper Horse is often depicted as wearing a crown and holding a jade laurel. People put it in the cowshed to worship, hoping to cultivate cows, help them stay healthy, and remind themselves of the hard work of helping others.

Paper horse, the god of ox king

Niuwangma Wang Zhi Ma Pucheng, Shaanxi Province

Six Livestock and Five Paper Horses Zhejiang Yuhang

In a word, cattle are indispensable and faithful friends in the production and life of the ancients, and they are indispensable in the farming history of more than 3,000 years. Cow represents enterprising and hard work, and also has a pragmatic and pioneering spirit, which coincides with the ingenious plan of daring to innovate and forge ahead that is advocated and adhered to today. In addition, cattle also have the beautiful meaning of gathering wealth and prospering wealth, so they are deeply loved by people among the six livestock. On the occasion of the Spring Festival in the Year of the Ox, sorting out all kinds of "Spring Cattle Pictures" in New Year pictures will help people to know more about the customs and habits of traditional China, and then "know where to go". It is hoped that today, when the protection of intangible cultural heritage is vigorously advocated, the "Spring Cattle Map" can still play its unique folk custom and aesthetic value and be cherished by people.

Jiangsu Suzhou Fushou Shuangquan Chunniu Rabbit Taohuawu

(This article is an associate researcher at China Academy of Art)

Editor in charge: Li Mei

The above is the complete calendar of 2023, which is about the sharing of Taohuawu. After reading the calendar in 2023, I hope this will help everyone!