New Year's prints are a folk art unique to Chinese. The tradition can be traced back to the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1278), when Chinese painting reached its apex. The most famous works of art of the Song include paintings like Travelers Among Mountains and Streams and Early Spring (both part of the controversial collection that went to the US last year), but these were, after all, part of elite culture for the court and literati. You are much more likely to find out what ordinary people appreciated in art, and their hopes and expectations about life, in the prints they put up each year at the New Year's holiday.

Among the many common subjects are protective deities like door gods, the God of Wealth, the Kitchen God, and other heavenly notables; auspicious symbols like "treasure attracting boxes," ruyi amulets, peonies, qilin (fictional animals which deliver baby sons), the Eight Immortals (which bring longevity); lucky slogans like "Joyfully Welcome Good Luck," "Wealth, Luck, Longevity, and Happiness," and "One Hundred Sons and One Thousand Grandsons"; and vignettes from folk tales and moral fables. They evolved from the earliest Song woodblock prints to an indispensable adornment for every household by the middle of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Though the subject matter is broad, it always revolves around good luck, longevity, and prosperity. Main centers of production have included Tianjin, Suzhou, Mianzhou (Sichuan), Changzhou and Quanzhou.

Taiwan's New Year's prints trace their lineage back to people coming here from Fujian and Guangdong. For a while Rice Street in Tainan flourished as its prints were sold all over Taiwan. Today several firms still operate, but sales are way down. In the modern city, the whole feeling of the New Year holiday seems diluted, so there is much less enthusiasm for prints.

However, many artists are unwilling to let this 800-year-old Chinese folk tradition wither and die. In 1985 the Council for Cultural Planning and Development began an annual competition to select the best New Year's prints. Each year many creative submissions combining tradition and contemporary styles are received, reflecting today's actual mass culture.

This year, besides the competition, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, acting on behalf of the Council for Cultural Affairs, has specially commissioned three senior artists and woodblock print makers-Cheng Shan-hsi, Liao Hsiu-ping, and Pan Yuan-shih-to produce new works. These have been collected into a set with prints from the competition and displayed at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, adding some color to the New Year's holiday and adding the prints of our era to this joyous heritage.

p.35

Father Tiger in the House

(for the Year of the Tiger)

Cheng Shan-hsi/ Silkscreen print 49 x 35.5 cm

p.36

The Pomegranate Brings Fortune and Abundant Celebration

Chen Yung-chin/ Silkscreen print 51 x 36.5 cm

p.37

Abundance Year In and Year Out

Chen Hsiu-ping/ Silk print 53 x 35.5 cm

Abundance Year In and Year Out

("fish" is a homophone for "abundance")

Pan Yuan-shih/ Woodblock waterprint 50 x 36 cm

p.38

An Auspicious Year of the Tiger

Pan Chin-juei/ Woodblock print 34.3 x 45.2

p.39

Flourishing Sources of Wealth

(the picture shows the God of Wealth)

Lin Juei-ching/ Silkscreen print 39 x 54 cm

p.40

Life #8

Liao Hsiu-ping/

Silkscreen print 50 x 36 cm

Chasing Out the

Old Year with the

Sound of Firecrackers

Chiang Chia-chen/

Rubber print 49 x 36 cm

p.41

Auspicious Symbol

(the Chinese title is homophonous with "turnip")

Yang Wan-ju/ Rubber print 54 x 39 cm

The Pomegranate Brings Fortune and Abundant Celebration Chen Yung-chin／ Silkscreen print 51×36.5 cm.

Abundance Year In and Year Out Chen Hsiu-ping／ Silk print 53×35.5cm.

Abundance Year In and Year Out （"fish" is a homophone for "abundance"） Pan Yuan-shih／ Woodblock waterprint 50×36cm.

An Auspicious Year of the Tiger Pan Chin-juei／ Woodblock print 34.3×45.2.

Flourishing Sources of Wealth （the picture shows the God of Wealth） Lin Juei-ching／ Silkscreen print 39×54cm.

Life #8 Liao Hsiu-ping／ Silkscreen print 50×36cm.

Chasing Out the Old Year with the Sound of Firecrackers Chiang Chia-chen／ Rubber print 49×36cm.

Auspicious Symbol （the Chinese title is homophonous with "turnip"） Yang Wan-ju／ Rubber print 54×39cm.