Beijing attractions

 

 

Chinese New Year Painting (年画) is regarded as a kind of Spring Festival Mascots. It is an old handicraft lasting for thousands of years, or rather, the early form of Chinese paintings. Similar to Spring Festival Couplet, Chinese New Year Painting derived from portraits of Door Gods. When it came into being is still unknown. However, scholars have found its traces in Du Duan, an ancient writing of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Chinese New Year Painting features simplified lines, bright colors, and various subjects. There are paintings about mythology, historical stories, dramatic figures, etc. It often impresses people with a lively atmosphere, embodying the Chinese people’s great expectation for happiness and prosperity. The paintings are mainly watercolor block prints, but different areas have different styles. The most well known brands are Taohuawu of Jiangsu, Yangliuqing of Tianjin, Yangjiabu of Shandong, and Mianzhu of Sichuan.