Are Woodblock New Year Pictures Heritage?

Woodblock New Year pictures are intangible cultural heritage.

Woodblock New Year pictures are a kind of folk art in China, with a long history and unique style, which is the treasure of traditional culture in China. On May 20th, 2006, woodblock New Year pictures were approved by the State Council and included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. In China, New Year pictures are symbols of the New Year. If you don't put up New Year pictures, it's not the New Year. New Year pictures are not only decorations for festivals, but also have cultural and artistic values. They are an encyclopedia reflecting the life of China's civil society.

Woodblock New Year pictures developed to the middle and late Qing Dynasty, and dozens of producing areas appeared, including: Liangping in Chongqing, Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Wuqiang in Hebei, Weifang in Shandong, Taohuawu in Suzhou, Zhuxian Town in Henan, Mianzhu in Sichuan and Pingyang in Shanxi. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, except Tibet, New Year pictures were used all over the country, including Taiwan Province Province.

The Development History of Woodblock New Year Pictures

Woodblock New Year pictures are a traditional folk culture and art form with a long history in China, with a history of 1000 years. Door gods in New Year pictures have the longest history. As early as the Han Dynasty, the embryonic form of the gatekeeper general appeared. Since the Tang Dynasty, the development of Buddhist scripture prints, the maturity of engraving technology and the development of folk culture in the Song Dynasty have greatly promoted the prosperity of woodblock New Year pictures.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a "painting market" that specialized in selling New Year pictures. At that time, it was called "drawing paper". Kaifeng, the capital of the Song Dynasty, is the political, economic and cultural center of the whole country. In addition, with the maturity of engraving printing technology, engraving New Year pictures have replaced hand-painted door god paintings, and there are more than 300 government-run and private workshops. During the Song and Jin Dynasties, there appeared such exquisite woodcut prints as Simitu, which is the earliest existing woodcut prints.