Spring cattle in 2008

Cattle are livestock closely related to farming, production and life. Cattle are closely related to people's lives, and people also create the image of "cow" in various works of art, and it is not uncommon to print and post Spring Cattle New Year pictures in various New Year pictures producing areas. 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 auspicious, sacrificial, rich, stories and other themes, 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 the country since ancient times. Cattle are closely related to farming, production and life, such as farmers plowing, pulling carts, grinding houses and eating meat. Cattle are associated with people's life day and night, and people have also shaped the image of "cow" in various works of art, or the "picture of spring cow" related to farming or the "picture of cow" derived from "the king of cow" or the auspicious celebration of the Spring Festival, which embodies the general public.

Spring Cattle Map (Partial) Weixian County, Shandong Province

During the Spring Festival every year, everything revives and spring returns to the earth. There is a custom of welcoming the spring and playing spring. In the Spring Festival "Whipping Spring Cattle" ceremony, plowing cattle is an indispensable and important role. "Whipping spring cattle" means welcoming local special cattle in front of the government and whipping them by special personnel, also known as "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 "Story of the Tale" records: "Duke Zhou only made local cattle when he was in beginning of spring. Covered with local cattle to show the morning and evening of farming. " In the Eastern Han Dynasty, The Book of Rites also described: "On the day of beginning of spring ... the people of Niu Geng were shut out to display their signs". 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 and is in charge of the growth of plants and everything. He was regarded as a wooden official, and was called "Spring God". "beginning of spring offered sacrifices to Di Qing and Ju Mang" became a custom. In the Book of Rites of Sui Shu, there is a record of beating cattle with colorful sticks, which is called beating spring in 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 spring. In Kaifeng and Xiangfu counties, spring cattle are placed in front of the door. It's definitely early, and the government is playing "Spring, Like the Instrument of Zhou Fang". Around the house, people sell Koharu cattle, often sitting on columns full of flowers, and hundreds of people are listed on the list with their doubts. " It describes the scene in which beginning of spring put a spring cow in front of the government the day before yesterday and the spring of the next morning. In the Ming Dynasty, the day before beginning of spring, Jing Zhao Yin led his subordinate officials to welcome the Spring Festival, and welcomed the local cows and mang gods into the mansion from the east of the city, and then went to the emperor, the empress dowager, the palace and the prince in turn. At this time, Tu Niu and Mang Shen have been equipped with colorful pavilions, resplendent and magnificent, which are made by workers. Liu Dong, an Amin, also wrote in "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of Jinghua": "During the beginning of spring season, state and county officials paid tribute to Ju Mang, and each person whipped cattle with colored sticks to persuade farmers." Point out the function of whipping spring cattle. In the Qing dynasty, spring fighting followed the system of the Ming dynasty. When Pan Rongbi described beginning of spring in "Ji Sheng in the Imperial Capital", he said, "Apart from whipping the spring in each division, the imperial capital painted the mountain gods and cows". Lu Gu, a A Qing writer, said in the Record of Suzhou Local Chronicle: "On beginning of spring Day, the prefects gathered in the government hall and beat the cows with whips, which is 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 Mangshen Spring Cattle Pavilion and put it in the hall. " In addition, Jia Qinglu also recorded Suzhou's New Year's Day: "The beauty of Suzhou is especially favored by tourists. People who buy paintings (that is, New Year pictures) gather in Sanqing Hall, and villagers compete to buy the spring cow map of the mountain god. " At this time, the image of spring cattle symbolizing bumper harvest became popular.

The New Year picture "Spring Cattle Map" shows people's wishes for good weather and good harvests. Some of them have solar terms tables, while others are auspicious pictures with the theme of spring cattle. It is more common to have pictures with calendars. 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 is regulated to some extent, and most of them are handsome shepherds with double bun on their heads and wicker whip in their hands, and their shoes and positions are quite particular. If the mountain god is barefoot, it indicates that there will be more rain in the coming year, so attention should be paid to flood control; If Mangshen wears shoes, it means 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 means 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 lunar 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 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, which highlights the curve turning point of the head and makes it look strong. However, the meticulous description of its body and hair is often unscathed and its roots are clear, which requires a lot of sculptors.

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 auspicious, blessing, wealth, stories and other contents. The pictures are rich in content and profound in meaning. In particular, there are many kinds of pictures of spring cattle printed in Taohuawu in Qing Dynasty, such as "Blessing Qi Tian" and "Blessing Longevity", which are very popular in other places. For example, the picture of the spring cow in the "Hongfu Tianqi" shows four characters, in which God bless the people, justice Tan Xuan, Li Shiguan and other figures who bless and increase wealth are drawn in the gap, while the main picture is decorated with the Chinese zodiac. On the left and right sides at the top of the screen are the month table and the date of scraping, which means to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Because the pot is often burned, besides the ash at the bottom of the pot, auspicious days should be chosen, so this scraping chart is set up. On the left and right are scenes of farmers farming and harvesting, and sixty characters surround them. In the middle, the savage god is whipping the spring cow, pointing out the theme. Because there is a cornucopia on the back of the cow, there are many auspicious figures in the painting, so this work can also be described as "the picture of spring cow" in the form of auspicious painting. In the Picture of Spring Cattle, flowers such as Tianguan, Chrysanthemum, Plum Blossom and Osmanthus fragrans are filled with double tick characters. Tian Zi hugs the wishful Tianguan and Flower Girl at the top, and there is 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 screen 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 version and picture of this New Year picture are two different fragments. When printing, only calendar editions of different years are needed, 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

32-year-old Fushou Shuangquan Twelve Flowers Spring Cattle Map Taohuawu, Suzhou, Jiangsu

32-year-old Spring Cattle with Double Life and Twelve Flowers (partial)

In addition, Suzhou Taohuawu also has a picture of spring cattle in the twenty-fifth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, which is also a calendar painting. The picture is engraved with twelve months (30 days for the big month and 29 days for 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 painting is the image of Mang God, Spring Cow and Spring Official. There are also four paintings on both sides, namely spinning to raise a grandmother, 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 frame of the picture is painted with branches-bound flowers such as peony and lotus, and sometimes the picture is enriched by the China Zodiac. The colors of the whole picture are only black and blue, not red, orange and other festive colors, which are used for the special purpose of mourning. Another painting called "Spring Cattle Welcome the New Year" combines the god of wealth and spring cattle, which embodies people's simple desire to pray for good luck in the New Year. In the first half of the photo, the god of wealth sits in the middle, and the lucky messenger, the official who benefits the city, Liu Hai and good luck are on both sides. In the lower part, the spring cattle carrying cornucopia are displayed, followed by the spring officials, and the courtiers beat gongs and drums to celebrate warmly. This kind of New Year picture is an old version of the Qing Dynasty, and its age is constantly changing year by year. The rest are old samples, 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.

2 1 year to make a fortune. 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 is a spring cow whipped in Guangxu eight years, dressed in official uniforms of the Qing Dynasty, and the people around it are also dressed as Qing people, which has a distinct imprint of the times. Most notably, 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 farming, this picture is set up, which only appears in the New Year pictures of Shanghai primary schools. Another picture, Spring Cattle in the Twenty-seventh Year of Guangxu, printed by Shen, a primary school of new york State University, depicts the scene of the emperor whipping the spring cattle. The emperor sits at the top of the picture, followed by attendants armed with fans and armor, and civil and military officials are symmetrically arranged on both sides. The characters in the picture are all watching the scene of whipping the spring cattle. The composition of this painting is similar to the "Spring Cattle in the Twenty-first Year" in Taohuawu, Suzhou, which shows the mutual influence of New Year pictures in the two places.

The genre of New Year pictures related to spring ploughing in Shandong is a common "big horizontal criticism" of 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 passage that reads: "In the Spring Festival, good luck comes, everyone encounters great luck, farmers encounter good harvests, businesses encounter wealth, when they go out, they encounter happiness, when they open the market, they encounter good luck, and when they build houses, the population is prosperous and there is no disaster. Some people will get lucky when they meet China's New Year pictures. " There is also "a bumper harvest in a peaceful year, short-term work is difficult, the food in East Village is good, and Xizhuang gives more money." In the middle painting, I drew auspicious signs, such as Tian Xi's falling star and Ma Xia's double chrysanthemum. There are four hoes on the right side of the picture, and three people are sitting eating cakes, which shows that people live much less. At the bottom of the screen, there are two villages fighting for short-term jobs and whipping spring cattle. This picture has no calendar, solar terms and other pictures, so it is pasted as a general auspicious New Year picture. Another picture, Spring Cattle in the Thirty-first Year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, depicts the scene of people welcoming spring cattle in beginning of spring the day before. There is an elephant behind him, and the attendants are holding the banner of "Vientiane Renewal". On the right side of the corresponding picture, there is a awn whip to drive away the spring cattle. In the picture, a servant holds a spring card and kneels to welcome the 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. Write 24 solar terms at the beginning of the painting to remind and guide farmers about farming. In the poem, the theme of "winter goes and spring comes, heating is more, everything is renewed and everything is harmonious, people celebrate happiness, and the grain is abundant for the country and the people's safety" points out.

Spring Cattle Map in wei county, Shandong Province

In the thirty-first year of Guangxu reign in Qing Dynasty, a picture of spring cattle was exhibited in Weixian County, Shandong Province.

On February 2nd, Wei County displayed the New Year pictures of farming. Although this picture is different from the picture of spring cattle, it also shows the theme of spring ploughing. Fu Cha Dunchong's "Yanjing Year's Chronicle" in Qing Dynasty reads: "On February 2nd, 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 "the dragon rises on February 2 nd, and everyone is a cow." In the painting, the minister guards the emperor to plow the fields, and the queen in the palace delivers meals, which reflects people's expectation that the emperor will go to the fields to know the sufferings of farmers, make the country prosperous and the people safe, and reap a bumper harvest. 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 and attach importance to production, so that people can live and work in peace and contentment.

On February 2nd, Longtaitou, Weixian County, Shandong Province

On February 2, the dragon looked up (partially)

Shanxi New Year pictures "Spring Cattle Map" are mostly distributed in Xinjiang and Linfen areas in the south of Shanxi, and the picture styles are similar, the only difference is whether there is a calendar. 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. I am sent to travel everywhere. I don't eat grass and feed, but Dan eats a small head to dispel 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 "Spring Cow in Thirty-two Years" has a slightly different poem written on the calendar: "I am a spring cow in the sky, and I have come to travel around the world. The crops are abundant and the songs are loud. There are more than three in morinda citrifolia and more than nine in the 1930s. " Here, "morinda citrifolia" and "Thirty" are arranged according to the date of the dry branch after the first day of the first month. For example, if the third day of the first month of that year is Nuoli Festival and the ninth day is the third day, then this year is called Sannuo Festival. Shanxi Spring Cattle Map not only means praying for God's agricultural production, but also has the function of eliminating disasters, which is quite popular in southern Shanxi. In Linfen, there is also the custom of pasting spring cattle with paper at the meeting of God. People will share walnuts, red dates, peanuts, etc. in the belly of paper-pasted spring cattle, which means a good sign.

Spring cattle map Linfen, Shanxi

Spring cattle map Linfen, Shanxi

The spring cow pictures in Fengxiang New Year pictures in Shaanxi are divided into two types: Rui and Sancai, among which there is a new variety of spring cow pictures that closely follows current events. There are two long and narrow pictures in the Spring Cattle Picture with Rui as the genre. 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, the annual income is guaranteed to be 10%, and the harvest (bumper harvest) is very good, and the business turns into gold, and the official is a product, which will be rich for thousands of years." The picture on the left shows the combination of a white elephant and a celestial official. The title "Spring Poetry" is entitled "The year when the new king ascended the throne, the grain was abundant, everyone knew the white elephant, thanked Heaven for singing a big drama and congratulated him". At the bottom of the picture, next to the celestial official, there is a picture of two ponies under the horse, which means that agriculture is prosperous and bumper. This form of "Spring Cattle Map" is only found in Fengxiang, Shaanxi in the national New Year pictures, and is used locally as a spring post posted during the Spring Festival. In Fengxiang's other traditional picture of Spring Festival travel rush and Spring Cattle, Mang Shen wears a suit and shoes barefoot, which indicates good weather. In the picture, a cow is hunched over a cash cow with a bat flying next to it, which indicates that "Fu" is coming. There are zodiac pictures in the upper and lower pens, which are circulated in the left and right pens. 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 each other." This is the reference for people to marry in ancient times, and it is the product of cultural lag. There are many similar variations of this picture in Fengxiang, only slightly different in clothing and text arrangement.

Spring cattle map Fengxiang, Shaanxi

Spring cattle map Fengxiang, Shaanxi

Fengxiang's distinctive picture of spring cattle is a new style of painting improvement in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. In the painting, the figure has a tassel hat on his head, wearing an armed robe, a belt tied around his waist on the epaulettes, gold thread on his sleeve, and embroidered with the pattern of China's embroidered robe, and there is a cliff at sea. Judging from the dress, it looks like Yuan Shikai, with the words "Three-year New Calendar" written on the lamp behind him, and a guard kneeling on one foot in front of him, holding a "Happy New Year" spring sign to announce that spring has arrived. The photo on the left shows a guard wearing a hat, a suit jacket, a bandage on his leg and a five-colored northern sign in his hand, standing next to an elephant with a cash cow. On the right side of the picture, Mang Shen, dressed in the same clothes, stands barefoot behind a spring cow with camels and jars. In the blank of the picture, the title "Good weather, peaceful country and people" is written. Although this work is a new type of "Spring Cattle Picture" 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 Picture". 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", which was widely popular in various places, in ancient China, where agriculture was the main productive force, cow gods, cow kings and their activities were also very common. During the Qin dynasty, there was a custom of offering sacrifices to the ox god. The book Jade Sagger written by Xu records that the 25th day of the seventh lunar month is the birthday of Niu Wang, and people should burn incense and offer gifts at this time. The resulting paper horses, such as Niuwangshen, Niumawang and Liuxuwang, are also scattered in the origin of New Year pictures. Because cows are hard-working by nature and are the necessary auxiliary labor force for farmers, their image is kind. The "Cow King" in Paper Horse is often depicted as wearing a crown and holding a laurel. People put it in a cowshed to worship it, hoping to cultivate cows and keep them healthy, and at the same time 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 ancient people, and they are indispensable in the farming history of more than 3,000 years. Cows represent enterprising and hard-working, but they also have pragmatic and pioneering spirit, which coincides with the ingenious plan of being innovative and enterprising 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 of traditional China, and then "know where it comes from and where it will 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 Chunniutu 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!