Preface
At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, a touch of red Spring Festival couplets and door god paintings are dotted in front of the doors of every household like a dream. This is a picture scroll spanning thousands of years, carrying ancient and mysterious cultural symbols, it is not only a magnificent pattern to welcome the new year, but also a tribute to the tradition precipitated by the years.
We can't help but ask: why did the ancient Chinese New Year have a door god pasted, and how have the traditional Chinese door god New Year paintings been passed down to this day?
Animal Door God: Worship of ghosts and gods passed down from generation to generation
In ancient times, the Chinese ancestors lived in hardship and had a limited understanding of the natural world. They don't understand where the changes in their surroundings come from, and they feel that the power of ghosts and gods is omnipresent. In order to seek peace of mind, the ancestors deified natural objects such as mountains, rivers, trees, and so on, in order to pray for peace. This is the origin of the worship of the door god in China.
As early as the Yin Shang period, Chinese began to draw or engrave animal images on doors and windows, praying for their divine power to protect the safety of their homes. These animal door god images have been passed down from generation to generation and have continued to be passed down to future generations. For example, it is recorded that during the Tang Dynasty, the common people also followed this old tradition, painting the hoof prints of gods and beasts with red lacquer on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, strengthening the vigilance against ghosts and gods, and praying for good luck in the new year. This custom has been practiced for thousands of years and has only gradually declined in modern times.
Of course, this kind of time-honored customs will inevitably continue to enrich and evolve with the changes of the times. For example, in the Song Dynasty, there was a legendary story of "Ming River Protector". According to legend, during the reign of Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, a mysterious figure called "Hufu Zhenjun" suddenly appeared in Minghe County, Henan. He claimed that he had the power of miracles, and that if the people painted his image on the door, they would be blessed by the gods. The incident caused quite a stir at the time.
In order to test the authenticity, the county magistrate asked him to show his magical powers. He asked the county magistrate to personally slam him in the back of the heart with a hammer, and he was unharmed. This miracle was finally seen by the magistrate at that time and passed on it himself. Since then, this "true monarch of the palace" has been widely worshipped among the people, and people have painted his image on the doors and windows to pray for protection. This has also become an anecdote in the development of door god worship in China.
Shenling Gate God: The initial enlightenment of Han Dynasty culture
During the Han Dynasty, with the development of social forms and productive forces, the Chinese began to transition from nature worship to the worship of gods. It is recorded in the literature that in the Han Dynasty, at the end of the year, people would draw the images of gods such as gods and Yu Lei on the door to drive away evil spirits and avoid ghosts.
The paintings of the door gods in this period are very distinctive, and the images of the gods and Yu Lei are sonorous and powerful, which is similar to the magnificent stone carving style of the Han Dynasty.
For example, on the portrait of the door god that has survived from the Han Dynasty rubbing, the god is holding an axe and a fierce face; Yu Lei was holding a sword and had a dignified appearance. The expressions of the two gods are exaggerated and eye-catching, which is consistent with the concept of "ghosts and gods" at that time. These early door gods set the rudiments of traditional Chinese door god painting. Although it still has a strong worship color, it has initially cultivated the buds of secular culture.
This trend of civilization was even more pronounced in the Sui and Tang dynasties. For example, according to the record of "Guangyi Ji", in the last years of the great cause of the Sui Dynasty, there was a warlock named Wangzi, who claimed that the fierce gods and evil spirits on the New Year paintings were not good for the people, but easy to provoke demons and monsters. Therefore, he called on the people to stop painting these scary patterns during the New Year's Festival, but to paint some auspicious elements such as ruyi and longevity peach.
This kind of advocacy actually created a precedent for the development of Chinese door god painting in the direction of "auspicious patterns". It may seem absurd in today's prosperous science and technology, but for the ordinary people who still believed in ghosts and gods at that time, Wang Zil's proposition undoubtedly inspired their cultural thinking and promoted the transformation and upgrading of traditional Chinese door god culture.
Zhong Kui's Ghost Hunting: The Prevalence of Mythology in the Tang Dynasty
By the Tang Dynasty, Chinese culture was unprecedentedly prosperous, and myths and stories were widely circulated. There is a well-known story that is the origin of Zhong Kui. It is said that Zhong Kui asked Tang Xuanzong before his death to kill all the demons in the world. In order to commemorate him, Xuanzong specially instructed the painter to draw a statue of Zhong Kui and paste it on the palace gate. Since then, Zhong Kui has become a well-known and important door god and is deeply loved by the people.
The biggest change in the painting of the door god during this period is the appearance of the image of the door god with both civil and military skills, standing left and right, and cooperating harmoniously. This composition greatly enriches the connotation of the door god painting, and is full of grotesque and charming Tang Dynasty mythology. For example, the famous portrait of "Hum Ha Two Generals" is a typical representative of this kind of image of the gods of the civil and military gates.
In the painting, the two of them are holding spiritual treasures, with a mighty demeanor and tacit understanding. What is particularly special is that the painting also reveals a hint of humor and amusement, which is a major feature of Tang Dynasty art, and also makes this work extremely eye-catching. Since then, this kind of humane and unique cutting-edge door god painting has been all the rage, showing the continuous innovation of traditional Chinese painting in the expression of charm.
Qin Wei Shuangquan: The strongest door god in the ideal of the Song people
Stepping into the Song Dynasty, China's economy was unprecedentedly prosperous, and the handicraft industry was highly developed, which provided a broad space for the development of door god painting. At this time, Qin Qiong and Wei Chigong gradually became well-known important door gods, and their heroic and warlike images were deeply loved by the people, and they were known as "the first door gods in the world".
The people of the Song Dynasty generally believed that Qin Qiong was brave and resolute, strong in martial arts, and was the first of the rare fierce generals in the world; And Wei Chigong is not only brilliant and long-flying, but also proficient in the art of war, and is a rare talent with both wisdom and bravery. Such a pair of the strongest men gods with all-round talents in civil and military affairs are the ideal "virtuous gentleman" model in the minds of the Song people.
Naturally, the common people also devotedly depicted their images in the paintings of the door gods, in order to pursue their own small fortunes. This social atmosphere of "hero worship" made Qin Wei's second general's door god painting popular at all walks of life for a while, competing to imitate it. This kind of portrait is original, colorful, and has a strong artistic appeal, and many wealthy businessmen and celebrities have to hang them on their doors and windows in order to show off their status.
In addition to the popularity, this craze has also promoted the emergence of more door god themes. During this period, there were many legendary martial arts gods, such as Yue Fei and Guan Yu. Their noble images of bravery and sacrifice for the country deeply impressed the scholars and ordinary people at that time, and they also became the "star" characters of this kind of door god painting.
It is foreseeable that this trend of "hero worship" will continue to have a profound influence on the ancient Chinese door god culture, and will become the most popular theme of door god paintings for hundreds of years to come.
Splendid and gorgeous: a large increase in auspicious elements in the Ming and Qing dynasties
By the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, China's commodity economy and culture were unprecedentedly prosperous. This injected infinite vitality into the painting of the door god. At that time, the paintings of the door gods were not only colorful, but also more abundant, and there were many beauties, ladies, children and other literary gods. These auspicious elements express people's yearning for a better life.
This period is characterized by the change in the function of the door god from warding off evil spirits to praying for blessings and seeking wealth. As a result, a large number of auspicious patterns such as ruyi, lotus, unicorn, and peach charm were added to the door god painting. The combination of these elements is novel in composition and rich in auspicious meanings, which are deeply loved by ordinary people.
For example, the scene of "five sons winning lotus" often appears in the paintings of Tongzimen, implying that the five sons are in the department and the champion in high school, representing people's yearning for success. For example, in the picture of "Three Blessings and Longevity", there are a variety of auspicious elements such as peach, ruyi, pomegranate, etc., which are combined to form an optimistic theme of longevity and blessing. This kind of new door god painting, rich in blessings, was loved by all social strata of the time, and was the most iconic cultural product of this period.
In fact, this trend also reflects the thinking and voice of people in this era of commercial development. They no longer overly fear or believe in ghosts and gods, but pay more attention to the happiness and happiness of real life. This can also be clearly seen from the change in the subject matter of the door god painting.
As a result, folk arts such as door gods have also become closer to the world, integrated into the daily life of ordinary people, and become a necessary object for every household to treat guests and decorate their lives. It can be said that this process of citizenization of the door god painting is a direct portrayal of the social development of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
epilogue
In the face of these ancient portraits of door gods, can we deeply feel the unique charm of folk art? It has a long history, has been passed down from generation to generation, and has witnessed the bits and pieces of Chinese civilization. If we are willing to experience it with our hearts, we may be able to discover the inextricable connection between history and life from these simple portraits.