There are four New Year pictures in China. Where did they come from?

These four New Year pictures are produced in Sichuan, Suzhou, Tianjin and Weifang.

In the history of China, Mianzhu New Year Pictures in Sichuan, Yangliuqing New Year Pictures in Tianjin, Yangjiabu New Year Pictures in Weifang, Shandong, and Taohuawu New Year Pictures in Jiangsu are the most famous, and they are known as the "Four Great New Year Pictures" in China.

1. Mianzhu New Year Pictures

Mianzhu New Year Pictures, also known as Mianzhu Woodblock New Year Pictures, are a kind of folk woodcut New Year Pictures of Han nationality. Mianzhu, Sichuan is named after the hometown of bamboo and paper, which is popular in southwest China. Most of them use wood blocks to print the outline and then fill in the color. In February 2002, Mianzhu New Year Pictures were selected as the first batch of Chinese intangible cultural heritage projects.

2. Taohuawu New Year Pictures

Taohuawu New Year Picture is a folk woodcut New Year Picture of Han nationality in the south of the Yangtze River, which was named after it was once concentrated in Taohuawu, Suzhou. Folk painting circles call it "Gusu Edition". On May 20th, 2006, this heritage was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

3. Yangliuqing New Year Pictures

Yangliuqing New Year Pictures, the full name of which is "Yangliuqing Woodblock New Year Pictures", belong to woodcut prints and are one of the famous Han folk woodblock New Year Pictures, which are also called "Southern Peach Blossom and Northern Willow" with Suzhou Taohuawu New Year Pictures. On May 20th, 2006, this heritage was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

4. Yangjiabu New Year Pictures

Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures in Weifang is a traditional folk craft of Han nationality with a long history in Shandong Province. Yangjiabu New Year pictures have a wide range of genres, rich imagination, reuse of primary colors, rough lines and simple style. Woodblock New Year pictures are the epitome of farming society. Their works, such as The Gods, The Gods of Heaven, Jing Shen and The Way of God, reveal the expectations of the working people of the ancient Han nationality for a bumper harvest, which is of great value for studying the production development, folk customs and ideology of the farming society in the Han Dynasty.