Block-Printed Chinese New Year Pictures
木版年画
I n China's cities and the countryside，New Year pictures are closely linked with the Spring Festival. Pasting up New Year pictures is a part of the festive celebrations
在中国城镇乡村，年画与春节是密不可分的，挂年画是春节一系列庆祝活动的重要内容。
Textual researches indicate that block-printed Chinese New Year pictures originated from the Door Gods in ancient China. The predecessor of the Door Gods was tao fu，or two pieces of peach wood，about 24 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide，on which were written charms against evil，hung on the gate on the Lunar New Year's Eve in ancient times. Since the Han Dynasty(206BC-220 AD)，instead of good luck charms，either the names of two valiant generals，Shen Tu and Yu Lei，were written or their portraits drawn on the peach wood，the former with a reed rope in his hand and the latter a fierce tiger in leash. From the beginning of the Tang Dynasty(618-907)，the images of the Door Gods were changed from those of Shen Tu and Yu Lei to those of Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong，two famous generals of the time. And during the Song Dynasty，with the development of printing technology，woodblock printing was used to produce the images of the Door Gods before being pasted on the gates or doors. This is believed to be the beginning of wood blocks or wood engravings
据考证，木版年画来源于中国古代的门神。门神的前身是“桃符”，即两块长七八寸、宽一寸余的桃木板，上面一般写一些除祸降福之类的吉利话。汉代以后则在桃符上直接写上神茶、郁垒二位神将的名字，或在桃符上刻画二位神将的画像—神茶手持苇索，郁垒手牵猛虎，因称之为门神。唐代又出现了绘制秦琼、尉迟恭图像的门神，称为武士门神。宋代，随着印刷技术的发展，人们开始采用雕版印刷技术来印制门神像，然后将门神像直接粘贴于门上。这就是最早的木版画。
Block-printed Chinese New Year pictures cover a wide range of subjects. Generally speaking，they fall into four groups-chubby babies，figures of ladies，common customs，and legendary stories. Other themes include portraits of divinities，birds and flowers，landscapes，and even common human figures，all of which come from myths and legends，historical stories，drama and even idioms. These stories，legendary or otherwise，are all familiar to the common people，and have a strong traditional or realistic flavor. As a unique form of folk art，block-printed Chinese New Year pictures stand out in its artistic expression. As far as their artistic creation is concerned，these pictures are free from the limitations of time and space， with masterly generalized themes and sensationally exaggerated images. In terms of their brushwork or style，these pictures have inherited the traditional Chinese sketching techniques，with an accurate and well-conceived composition，simple yet bold lines，unsophisticated yet exaggerated images，bright and lively colors. As regards printing，black, red，green，blue and yellow are the preferred colors. In short，with skillfully contrasted colors，characteristic themes，honest and graceful figures，these pictures give off a strong local flavor.
木版年画的题材也极其广泛，现在一般分为娃娃、仕女、世俗和故事四大类。诸凡神像人物、花鸟鱼虫、岁时风物无所不包，其题材大多来源于神话传说、历史故事、戏曲小说、成语典故等老百姓耳熟能详的传统故事或现实生活，既具有浓郁的传统色彩，又带有强烈的现实色彩。作为一种独特的民间艺术，木版年画的艺术表现力也与众不同。在创作上，木版年画不受时间和空间的限制，对表达的内容往往加以高度的概括和形象的夸张。在技法上，木版年画继承了我国传统的勾线技法，构图严谨而饱满，线条简约而粗犷，画面古朴而夸张，人物生动而憨厚，色泽艳丽而明快。在印刷上，大多以黑、红、绿、蓝、黄等色为主，对比强烈，主题突出。画中的人形物像质朴大方，散发出浓郁的乡上气息。
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