Yangjiafu Woodblock New Year Prints

Author: Ge Chunxue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Yangjiafu in Shandong is located by the ancient Zhuo River, 15 kilometers from Weifang City. It is an immigrant village that was settled during the Huazhou period of the Ming Dynasty, originating from Zitong County, Chengdu, Sichuan. The Yangjiafu New Year picture originated in the early Qing Dynasty and flourished during the Guangxu period. During winter, all the villagers would engage in New Year picture production. Shop owners from neighboring counties like Gaomi and nearby towns would compete to rent street-side houses in Yangjiafu to sell their paintings, preparing for the Lunar New Year. Yangjiafu shops opened branches in places like Xuzhou and Gaomi to sell paintings, promoting the development of New Year pictures across Shandong. These pictures were sold nationwide, making Yangjiafu one of the major production centers for New Year pictures in China. Chinese folk New Year pictures are rooted in rural life. Shandong, being an agricultural province with vast land and a large population, provided fertile ground for the growth and development of folk New Year pictures. Yangjiafu New Year pictures shine with their strong rural charm. The figures are exaggerated, the compositions are full, the colors are striking and vibrant, and they are highly decorative. Yangjiafu New Year pictures evolved from freehand painting to half-printed and painted styles by the late Qing Dynasty, and later to woodblock multi-color printing in the early Republican era. The techniques of woodblock printing were also applied to kites, colored lanterns, fans, carriages, window decorations, and needlework albums, showcasing the unique technical capabilities and advantages of a major New Year picture production center.