The Chinese people have a long tradition of hanging up New Year's prints to celebrate the Spring Festival. In central China's Henan province, the town of Zhuxian, is well-known for its special kind of New Year prints. This story comes to us from students of Communication University of China, who visited the town this summer.

 

Derived from portraits of the Door Gods, Chinese new year paintings are regarded as a kind of Spring Festival mascot. It is an old handicraft, going back thousands of years. The paintings are mainly watercolor, but with different styles. Woodblock New Year paintings originate from a small town named Zhuxian in central China's Henan province. The process of making these paintings isn't easy. There are 32 complex steps. Ren Helin is an master of wood-block printings. He has spent two decades preserving and developing the traditional craft. But it's not been a simple feat.

 

REN HELIN, CURATOR KAIFENG WOODBLOCK PRINTING MUSEUM "The craft is facing extinction. These days I have to shave and polish woodblocks by myself, besides drawing, engraving, and painting. It’s a huge task for only one person."

 

Just like many other traditional arts, the fate of woodblock new year paintings is unknown. Craftspeople are getting older, and not many young people are willing to learn the art. How do we ensure the brilliant craftsmanship of woodblock New Year paintings can be seen by future generations? It's not an easy question to answer.