In honour of Chinese New Year on February 8, 2016, I’m sharing some old images of woodblock prints that were given to me by a friend in China. I include these in the Museum Bento Explore Chinese New Year box. The photo quality isn’t the greatest (the prints are very faded) but it’s still possible to see some of the fantastic detail that goes into making these.
Woodblock printing originated in China before the Han dynasty (BC 206 – AD 220). The Chinese used woodblocks to print images and books on textiles and later paper. Chinese New Year woodblock prints (nianhua) are very popular household decorations and are always filled with bright colours and auspicious images or characters. The village of Yangjiabu in eastern Shandong province is especially well-known and was a major producer of Chinese New Year prints until the mid-twentieth century.
During the New Year celebration, it’s customary for Chinese families to paste colourful woodblock prints like these on windows and walls. The prints, with their bright and cheerful images, are meant to stay up long after the festivities pass and bring a spark of colour into a dreary winter.