Discovering New Year Picture Woodblocks

By staff reporter LUO YUANJUN

It was October 11, 2003 that the search for antique New Year picture woodblocks in the former Jia family residence brought to light 159 woodblocks concealed in the ceiling of the old house.

Discovery

The Door God, one of a series of door decoration woodblock prints.

One day in 2000, Jia Zhenbang was looking for something in his family's former residence, then used as a storeroom. Glancing up, he noticed an exposed red wooden board carved with patterns in the ceiling of the west wing. A descendant of a family that had for generations specialized in New Year picture prints, Jia Zhenbang recognized it at once as a printing woodblock. Taking a bamboo pole, he poked at the ceiling and discovered a cache.

As news of the find spread, many dealers in antique artifacts came to the Jia residence. One offered 200,000 yuan for the roof but Jia Zhenbang turned him down. On the title deed signed in 1851 that lay down how the Jia land and family property should be divided is stated: "The woodblocks may be used, but their sale is forbidden." Jia Zhenbang knows the exact value of these woodblocks, but when the Wuqiang New Year Picture Museum came to negotiate for them, he agreed at once, saying: "The woodblocks are unquestionably our family heritage, but handing them over to the state for a nominal fee will ensure their preservation. This is the long-cherished wish of our father." Among the 159 woodblocks, most were made in the Tongzhi and Guangxu reigns of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and 13 pieces, including "Pigeons," "Rising Sun," "Magpies," and "Three Fishes," have been designated state treasures.

An Ancient Craft

The New Year picture is a traditional Chinese folk art genre to which written references date back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Traditional New Year pictures depict pleasant scenarios in simple forms and bright colors. Their four themes are current events, folklore, theatrical performances and folk tales. They are generally printed from carved woodblocks. The art flourished in the mid-Qing Dynasty right through to the 1940s.

Preservation

Jia brothers sold their ancient New Year picture woodblocks to the local government for a nominal price. Sheng Jiapeng

The Jia family produced New Year picture prints for six generations, from Qing Dynasty Emperor Jiaqing's reign. According to Jia Zhenbang, the Jia family New Year pictures flourished right through to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, when it went into decline. It ground to a halt in 1963, when Wuqiang County was flooded. That year many houses collapsed, and villagers had to go about their business by boat. Great numbers fled to other parts of the country, but Jia Zhenbang's father, Jia Zengqi, never abandoned the ruins of his old house. When the waters receded, he hired workers to rebuild it, and when floods recurred while work was in progress, he insisted on paying out even more for further renovations. Jia Zhenbang now realizes why.

One day in the summer of 1992 Jia Zengqi, then in his 80s, suddenly demanded that his sons renovate the old uninhabited residence. They were puzzled, saying that it would eventually be demolished, so why consolidate it? But Jia Zengqi insisted, and his sons, bound to obey him, bought red bricks and cement. Jia Zhenbang, the fourth son, says, "My father insisted on seeing for himself that the old house was renovated. At that time he could not walk, so I had to take him there in a wheel barrow." The renovations were also strange consisting of a new roof and walls covering the old ones. According to folklore specialists, double walls are reminiscent of an inner and outer coffin, and so violate a major folklore taboo. When the renovations were complete, however, and Jia Zengqi's sons carried him to the old place to see, the old man seemed very happy. He said that he could now die content. Jia Zhenbang and his brothers were at a complete loss as to why their father so cherished this old house.

That summer, Jia Zengqi passed away. On his deathbed, he told his sons, "Never pull down this house. Perhaps after two or three generations someone will come to look at it." Until the woodblocks were discovered, the deserted house was used to store grain.

Characteristics of Wuqiang New Year Pictures

Wuqiang County in Hebei Province is one of the five New Year picture producers, along with Tianjin's Yangliuqing, Shandong's Weifang, Jiangsu's Taohuawu and Sichuan's Mianzhu. The uniqueness of Wuqiang New Year pictures lies in their affinity with the lives of the common people. Bright, contrasting colors reflect popular artistic taste, and their themes the aspirations of the era. As such, Chinese New Year pictures have significant historic and folkloric value.