During the Lunar New Year, drawings or couplets supposed to bring a family good luck and happiness are pasted upon the door or a wall of the home. At the end of the year, with the color fading, they are replaced by new ones. Unlike some calligraphy and paintings marvelously mounted for decoration or passed down from generation to generation, these New Year drawings are made without much regard for the quality of the paper. Manufacturing is mostly a family affair. With use of the modern printing machines, the drawings are printed much more beautifully and delicately and in a large quantity, while remaining almost the same in style as the ancient ones. By pasting up pictures of the wealth gods, the door gods, the kitchen gods, the dragon and the phoenix and Ch'i Lin sending a wonder child (Ch'i Lin, a fabulous animal resembling the deer,) people express their hopes for the best, as the drawings signify. The Chinese people respect their tradition and cherish their cultural heritage.
A special exhibition of drawings is held around the Chinese New Year season to introduce this conventional folk art to modern Chinese living in a more prosperous society. Many people are still fascinated by their fabulously beautiful colors, plain styles and the imaginative folk tales the pictures depict. The printing patterns have been preserved for nearly a hundred years. From painting, engraving to printing, they are all produced by folk artists. Their folk style and atmosphere can be clearly felt. We are familiar with and very fond of the subjects the artists present. The pictures reflect our hopes and wishes for longevity, prosperity, happiness and peace.
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