Leadership Insights | Illustrated Lectures: Centuries-old Woodblock New Year Picture: Living Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shandong

Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Picture, one of China’s “Four Most Famous Woodblock New Year Pictures”, originated in the early Ming Dynasty (around the 14th century) in Yangjiabu Village, Hanting District of Weifang City, Shandong Province. With a history spanning over 600 years, it centers on traditional woodblock color printing techniques, involving three key stages: draft painting, block carving, and color overprinting. Through the method of separating plates by color and combining water-based printing, it showcases the distinct style of folk art in northern China.

The subjects of Yangjiabu New Year Pictures are rich and diverse, encompassing deity figures such as the door gods and wealth god, as well as auspicious patterns, opera stories, and folk life. Representative works like Surplus Year after Year (Liannian Youyu) and Kirin Bringing a Son (Qilin Songzi) vividly reflect the spiritual beliefs and aesthetic tastes of agrarian society. Its artistic characteristics include bold and concise lines, striking color contrasts—predominantly using vibrant colors like red, green, yellow, and purple—and a full, highly decorative composition, exuding a strong rustic charm.

During its peak in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), annual sales reached 50 million prints, which were sold across northern and northeastern China and even overseas. As a vital carrier of China’s agricultural culture, Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Picture was included among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Local efforts to revitalize and preserve this art form include establishing a New Year Picture Museum, supporting inheritors, and developing cultural and creative products, breathing new life into this ancient craft and making it a significant living specimen for studying Chinese folk art and culture.

Today, the craftsmanship of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Picture continues to innovate. It not only leverages modern technology to enhance printing efficiency and quality, but also introduces more diverse themes to incorporate cultural and creative elements, attracting greater attention from younger generations.

It is crucial to strengthen the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, allowing these treasures to shine even more brilliantly in the contemporary era.

監製:蔚力

策劃:丁素雲

文案:楊俊康