奇速英语

In China, there is a special kind of painting — Spring Festival pictures, or New Year pictures. Traditionally, New Year pictures are acquired and displayed in homes and other places to celebrate Chinese New Year. On Lunar New Year’s Eve, pictures showing men shen, or door gods, appear on front doors to guard the house from evil spirits. When the new year comes, images showing gods of luck, fortune, longevity, happiness and wealth decorate houses. They are all known as New Year pictures.

The themes expressed in New Year pictures cover a wide range, from cute fat babies holding a fish to the Old God of Longevity (老寿星), from landscapes to birds and flowers, from the ploughing cattle in spring to rich harvests in autumn. Human figures often show artistic exaggeration, but the message in all pictures is always good luck, festivity or other nice things in the wish of the people. Usual objects in the pictures include the crane (鹤) or the peach which symbolizes a long life, the plum (梅) or peony which is a mark of good fortune and happiness. The colours most favoured are red, green, purple, yellow and black — which are not only bright but contrast well with one another — intended to give fresh, vivid, pleasant and inspiring impressions.

Although no accurate record exists of the origins of New Year pictures in China, the “Sang daji” section of the Li ji, which was finished over 2,000 years ago, notes that “an emperor who came to his minister’s house to offer condolences (吊唁) would first bow to the door gods.”

To meet the specific needs of the vast rural population, New Year pictures are produced in all regions in China. But the leading producers are: Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Taohuawu in Suzhou, Weifang in Shandong, and Mianzhu in Sichuan. These pictures are locally favored, and they possess their respective regional characteristics in terms of coloring, composition, shape, and function.