Shandong Weifang Yangjiabu woodblock prints
Innovation makes The New Year painting enjoy lasting vitality
Su Rui, a reporter based in Shandong, wrote/pictured
January 25 is the twenty-third day of the lunar month, the Northern New Year. Early this morning, Li Bin, the owner of the New Year painting business in Hanting District, Weifang City, Shandong Province, rushed to the shop at less than 7 o'clock. "This year is relatively busy, last night received 3 more orders, a total of 400 sets of New Year painting cultural creations, today we have to pay close attention to the production workshop to make it." Li Bin, a native of Weifang, graduated from university in 2007 and returned to his hometown to promote and sell New Year paintings despite his parents' objections. Today, his small shop has signed a number of local woodblock new year painting inheritors, and sales in 2021 will exceed 1.5 million yuan.
Hanting District of Weifang City is the "hometown of Chinese New Year paintings", and Yangjiabu woodblock prints are world-renowned national intangible cultural heritage projects. In recent years, Hanting District has seized the opportunity of the construction of the Qilu Cultural (Weifang) Ecological Protection Zone, with the goal of creating a "New Year Painting Resort", insisting on inheriting in protection, innovating in inheritance, and developing in innovation, and the work of protecting and inheriting New Year paintings has achieved remarkable results. At present, there are 25 inheritors of Yangjiabu woodblock prints at or above the district level, more than 200 employees, more than 23 million annual prints, and sales income of more than 100 million yuan. Yangjiabu Folk Art Grand View Garden was named as a national intangible cultural heritage productive protection demonstration base, a Shandong Provincial "Rural Memory Project" Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and a Shandong Provincial Traditional Craft Workstation.
▲ Shandong Weifang Yangjiabu woodblock print making skills display
The production process of Yangjiabu woodblock prints is unique. The artist first painted with willow charcoal strips and incense ash, called the decaying draft, and then completed the original draft on the basis of the decaying draft, drew the line draft, and pasted it on the pear wood plate for carving, respectively, carved out the line version and the color plate. Then after color grading, paper clamping, plate mixing, processing color running, etc., hand printing. After the New Year painting is printed, it is also necessary to manually make up various colors for simple depiction, so that the New Year painting is natural and vivid.
Zhang Yunxiang, the inheritor of Yangjiabu woodblock prints, was also very busy before the Spring Festival. He is good at using his brain, and in recent years, he has focused on the innovation of New Year painting styles. This year, he broke the composition and color method of the traditional New Year painting, and created a set of twenty-four solar term woodblock prints, which integrated the traditional Chinese poems, books, paintings and prints together, and the text on the New Year painting was like the number 1, the seal was 0, the picture below was also 1, the meaning was 101, and the hundred feet of pole head went further. Look closely, the seal above the New Year painting is round, and the bottom is square, which means the place where the sky is round; the upper yang carving, the lower yin carving, alluding to yin and yang.
Li Bin introduced that the reason why Yangjiabu's woodblock New Year paintings can be passed down to today is mainly due to innovation. In the past, people rushed to buy New Year paintings in large collections, and the works of artists were "different from year to year". If any artist takes out last year's inventory to sell, not only does his peers look down on him, but the people do not recognize it.
In recent years, Hanting District has adhered to innovation and leadership in the field of woodblock new year paintings and promoted living inheritance.
For example, in terms of subject matter content, Hanting District fully supports the new creation of New Year paintings, Ji Naicang, Yang Zhibin and others created The Winter Olympics, Anti-Corruption and Honesty, Poverty Alleviation and other themes of the New Year Paintings won awards in the National Art Exhibition, and the woodblock Annual Painting Collection reflecting the history of the country and the Party history, "Seventy Years of Vicissitudes and Great Changes" and "Painting" Says the Glory of the Party History in the Past Century" won the "2020 China Copyright Best Content Creation Award". At the same time, with the protection of intangible cultural heritage, the creation of "Liu Yi Legend", "Chang'e Benyue Legend" and other national and provincial intangible cultural heritage project series of woodblock New Year paintings.
In addition, Hanting District has also launched a series of derivatives such as the New Year Painting Calendar and new year painting daily necessities, and innovated the art form of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Painting Calligraphy Inscription Works, which was funded by the National Arts Fund. The TV series "Big Boss", which is based on the theme of New Year paintings, won the Shandong Provincial Literary and Art Excellence Project Award. Local organization of New Year painting shops and related inheritors registered 15 New Year painting trademarks such as "Tongshunde", and the trademark of "Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Painting" was identified as a well-known trademark in Shandong Province.
The protection and inheritance of Yangjiabu woodblock prints has also faced new situations and new problems in recent years. Hanting District actively explores the effective path of protection, inheritance and innovative development of New Year paintings, cooperates with universities to build the Qilu New Year Painting Research Institute, and builds a national New Year Painting Research Center, a high-end talent gathering and training center, a science and technology enterprise incubation center and a national cultural industry demonstration base, and has now introduced 4 high-level talents such as doctors and inheritors at or above the provincial level, and carried out research on related topics.
At the same time, Hanting District set up a woodblock new year painting protection association. Give full play to the role of non-governmental forces in the protection of New Year paintings, establish the country's first woodblock New Year painting protection association, and explore new ways for the protection of woodblock New Year paintings. The first rural copyright protection workstation in China was established, and the Weifang folk art copyright protection workstation was set up to provide free copyright registration, dispute mediation and other services for authors. A folk art recordal and appraisal center was established, and more than 500 New Year paintings were entered into the DNA database, providing a strong basis for copyright owners to protect their rights and law enforcement by cultural law enforcement departments.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Hanting District Culture and Tourism Bureau, the local future plans to invest 3 million yuan to restore more than 400 sets of ancient chinese paintings from the Existing Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China, and 4 ancient new year paintings such as the "Full Map of Ancient and Modern Local Public Opinion" with an initial investment of 800,000 yuan are organizing engraving masters to reproduce.
Hanting District also proposed that the construction of cultural tourism projects should be accelerated. Invest 230 million yuan to renovate and upgrade the Yangjiabu Folk Art Grand View Garden. Among them, the planning and construction of China's New Year Painting Museum will focus on displaying high-quality New Year paintings focusing on 18 state-level New Year painting production areas in the country after completion, and create a national high-quality New Year painting display and distribution center.
Sichuan Mianzhu woodblock prints
Add a new year flavor to the Beijing Winter Olympics
This reporter based in Sichuan, Fu Yuanshu
On the afternoon of January 25th, on the New Year Cultural Square of Nian Folk Village in Xiaode Town, Mianzhu, Sichuan, festive music and fiery decorations created a strong New Year flavor. Sponsored by the Department of Public Service of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Public Cultural Development Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Sichuan Province, and hosted by the Chinese Cultural Center Association, the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Center, the Deyang Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Publicity Department of the Mianzhu Municipal Party Committee, and the Mianzhu Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the 2022 National "Village Evening" Demonstration Display Activity and the "Village Evening" Live Broadcast of Chinese (Mianzhu) New Year Paintings were held here, and also marked the official launch of the 21st Mianzhu New Year Painting Festival.
Because of the epidemic, although there is no longer a lively "Taofu City", Mianzhu woodblock prints still usher in the heyday of the year. The reporter saw at the recording site that the masks of the Tiger New Year Painting worn by the staff and onlookers of this year's New Year Painting Festival were particularly eye-catching. This mask is based on a big red background, and the mask pattern is that the joyful boy wearing a small tiger hat carries a big red lantern in his hand, which reads "Go to Mianzhu for the Chinese New Year". It is reported that this New Year painting cultural and creative mask is created by Jia Jun, the inheritor of Mianzhu woodblock prints, and developed and produced by Mianzhu Yaolong Medical Company, aiming to expand the influence of Mianzhu woodblock new year paintings, a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage.
Since 2006, when Mianzhu woodblock prints were included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, the local New Year painting art has been innovated from form to content, carrier, production method, packaging, etc., and Mianzhu woodblock prints have gradually integrated into life, and the fine works of New Year paintings have emerged in an endless stream. Especially with the Spring Festival approaching, the figure of the New Year painting appeared in the streets and alleys as early as 1 month ago, and related products have also become popular for the people to buy.
▲ Elements of Mianzhu woodblock prints in the animation promotional film of the Beijing Winter Olympics (video screenshot)
Pregnant ink, covered paper, and then repeatedly brushed with a brown brush, when the paper is uncovered again, a pair of mighty men shennian paintings with gilded lines have jumped on the paper. "If you have money, you don't have money, paste the new year." Talking about this year's New Year painting market, Chen Jianmei, who has been engaged in the sales of New Year paintings for decades, said, "It's too busy, and there are many orders before it reaches the waxing moon." Every year, some new customers come to order, and traditional culture is reviving. "Like this kind of door god new year painting with gilded lines on a red background, Chen Jian has made thousands of paintings this year.
"According to the past customs, New Year paintings will only have a great demand before the Spring Festival, and now the Mianzhu woodblock prints are more often collected as a local characteristic culture or as gifts, so innovative creation is very important." Chen Qiang, a municipal inheritor of the Mianzhu woodblock print Deyang City, said that this year is the Year of the Tiger, and he not only chose Zhao Gongming, who used the tiger as a mount in the traditional New Year paintings, but also added the image of the New Year painting doll holding the tiger pillow and the boy wearing the tiger's head hat, which is more in line with the aesthetics of young people.
In addition, after visiting and understanding, there is another type of local New Year painting with novel content, rich themes, witty and interesting that has gradually entered the homes of the people and become a good helper for the decoration of the living room.
It is reported that Doufang is a new chapter put together by craftsmen and artists in their spare time, and most of them refer to the historical stories circulated by folk, the myths and legends of irony and allegory, and the witty and spicy drama literature, such as "Mouse Marrying Woman", "Three Monkeys Hot Pig", "Sparrow Marrying Relatives" and other works that are the most widely circulated. Among them, "Three Monkeys Hot Pig" is the most ironic. In the picture, 3 cunning monkeys and a rich pig sit around a square table playing card gambling, and the table is full of gambling funds. Beside the pig stood two young girls, serving tea and dry cigarettes. The 3 monkeys colluded to take advantage of the pig to flirt with the girl, secretly passing cards under the table with their feet to cheat, unconsciously winning the pig's money, and "hot" the pig enough.
"Hot" has the meaning of fooling and teasing in Sichuan dialect, which is a typical Sichuan dialect, reflecting the humorous and funny personality of Sichuan people. "The whole New Year painting is cleverly conceived, the image is lively and playful, the scene is witty and humorous, and the painter uses excellent painting skills to portray 4 vivid images of gamblers, which have profound meanings and are hilarious." Jia Jun said that at present, among the many types of New Year paintings, Doufang New Year paintings are an artistic expression that the people like to hear. Its creative methods are simple, the subject matter is diverse, and the intention is vivid and interesting.
During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger, the most popular among the people is the Beijing Winter Olympics. It is worth mentioning that in the CCTV animation propaganda film to welcome the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Mianzhu woodblock print "Fairy Tale Bamboo Treasure", which was filmed in Qingping Town, Mianzhu City, was made into an animation film and appeared in the promotional film for display. In this promotional video, not only about Yu holding a green dragon crescent knife to play ice hockey, the door god stepping on a ski ski and other rich Elements of the New Year painting, the 3D painting of "Fairy Tale Bamboo Treasure" has also transformed into a "New Year Painting Boy" and a "Well-behaved Panda" walking through the ice and snow. The Spring Festival was celebrated with a cotton bamboo woodblock print, which added a New Year flavor to the Winter Olympic Games held during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger.
Guangdong Foshan woodblock prints
Carry forward the spirit of the tiger And innovate the image of the tiger
Tan Zhihong, a reporter based in Guangdong
A boy rides on the back of a tiger, holding a knife above his head in his left hand and holding a large carp in his right hand, playful and majestic. This is the image in the New Year painting "Door God Riding Tiger Shengwei" created by Liu Zhongping, a representative inheritor of the Foshan Woodblock Print Festival in Guangdong Province and the "Nianhua Girl", for the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger. The composition of the work refers to the traditional Zhao Gongming theme New Year paintings, which are mainly red and orange, supplemented by yellow and a small amount of green, which are auspicious and festive.
▲ New Year painting "Door God Riding Tiger Tiger Shengwei"
Liu Zhongping said that in order to unify the picture style, the tiger in this New Year painting does not completely copy the tiger image in the traditional Foshan woodblock New Year painting, but more refers to the real tiger. A coin is tied with red silk on the hilt of the knife in the boy's hand, symbolizing wealth, and the feather bell (cat toy) on the sheath of the knife echoes the eyes of the tiger (big cat) below, adding a touch of fun to the picture. The carp is an auspicious symbol, and from ancient times to the present, there are a large number of images of dolls holding carp. Therefore, the author added the element of doll holding fish to express the good wishes of "more than one year" and "carp leaping dragon gate".
"Xiangrui Fu Hu" is another Painting of the Year of the Tiger engraved by Liu Zhongping. Liu Zhongping said that "Xiangrui Fuhu" isomorphic auspicious elements such as chongshan, xiangyun, birds, flowers, fish patterns and gourds into the shape of the tiger, creating an image of an auspicious tiger standing on the mountain and rivers and coexisting in harmony with all things.
In order to let more people, especially the younger generation, understand the woodblock prints, Liu Zhongping broke through the boundaries and "went out of the circle", combined traditional skills with contemporary culture, and integrated the image of the tiger and tiger with the well-known "Oath Knight" in the game "Kingdom Era", injecting new vitality into traditional culture. She said that her creative inspiration comes from the classic "Zhao Gongming Riding a Tiger" in Foshan's woodblock new year paintings. Zhao Gongming is the god of wealth, and when the New Year arrives, the god of wealth rides a mighty tiger and comes to the people to send fortune to everyone. After communicating with the team of "Kingdom Era", Liu Zhongping created the New Year painting "Fuhu Xianrui", which allowed the oath knight with a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left hand to ride Fuhu out of the mountain and give the lord protection, implying that the New Year was safe and joyful, and everything went smoothly.
▲ New Year painting "Fuhu Xianrui" (courtesy of the interviewee)
In addition to creating with the tiger as the theme, Liu Zhongping also recreates the traditional door gods. "General with a Knife" is a well-loved door god painting, Liu Zhongping in the traditional New Year painting "General with a Knife", the slope opposite a pair of door gods Guan Gong adjusted to the front of the single front door god, created the "Main Gate God • Sword General", not only retains the classic image of the door god, but also more adapted to people's current lifestyle.
Foshan woodblock prints began in the Song and Yuan dynasties and flourished during the Qianjia period of the Qing Dynasty. Foshan woodblock prints are on a par with Tianjin Yangliu Youth Paintings, Suzhou Peach Blossom Wood New Year Paintings, and Shandong Weifang New Year Paintings, and are known as the "Four Major Woodblock New Year Paintings in China". Its production process is complex, including more than 20 processes such as drafting, engraving, rubbing, coloring, and hand painting. As the inheritor of Foshan Shunde Magang engraving skills, Wu Guolin created "Ten Miles of Rural Drunken Spring Wind" and "Tiger Tiger Shengwei, Auspicious Ruyi" and other New Year paintings before the Arrival of the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger. These works depict a new picture of the people's well-off life in the new era, reflect the new face of urban-rural integration and development, integrate the artistic elements of modern printmaking into the traditional woodblock printmaking technique, and show the strong vitality of the development of intangible cultural heritage with the times.
Wu Guolin said that in traditional Chinese culture, tigers have the auspicious meaning of dragon leaping and tiger leaping, tiger tiger vitality, and living dragon and living tiger. His New Year painting "Tiger Tiger Shengwei, Auspicious Ruyi" revolves around the word "tiger", adopts traditional woodcut engraving techniques, and innovates the shape, color and line on the basis of traditional New Year paintings, integrates animation elements, and highlights the festive atmosphere of woodblock New Year paintings in The New Year customs.
Magang, Shunde, was a major engraving and printing center in Guangdong in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, which complemented the development of woodblock prints. In 2008, Shunde Rongcheng Art Museum began to excavate and sort out the Magang engraving techniques, integrating and innovating the traditional engraving techniques and modern engraving techniques, and successively created a number of excellent New Year paintings and prints such as "Listening to the Song of the Fishing Boat Across the Shore" and "The Drunken Spring Breeze in the Countryside". Wu Guolin said that as a derivative work of Magang's engraving technique, the woodblock new year painting "Tiger Tiger Shengwei, Auspicious Ruyi" is an active exploration, hoping to further excavate the era value and social function of intangible cultural heritage and promote the sustainable inheritance and development of intangible cultural heritage.
Zheng Taichang is the municipal inheritor of Foshan woodblock new year paintings, and together with Liu Zhongping, he studied with Feng Bingtang, the national inheritor of Foshan woodblock new year paintings. Although Zheng Taichang has been involved in the inheritance of Foshan woodblock prints for 10 years, it has been engraved according to the traditional New Year painting patterns before. In order to welcome the Year of the Tiger, he tried his hand at the knife and independently created a New Year painting of the tiger's head. "The simple tiger pattern is not necessarily popular, so I virtually portray the tiger as the door god of the tiger's head, which has both a mighty side and an allegory to ward off evil spirits." Zheng Taichang said.
Woodblock prints in Huaxian County, Henan
Keep up with the times
Lu Xin