Figures

Figure 1. Street-level view of an urban residential neighborhood in Mianzhu, Sichuan.

Narrow cobble-stoned alleys lined with one story housing are squeezed in between tall

apartment buildings. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 2. A comparison of multi-block color printing from a north China workshop in

Weifang, Shandong (left) and the hand-painted colors from Mianzhu, Sichuan (right).

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Figure 3. An exterior view of a household doorway displaying digitally printed door

deities of the demon queller Zhongkui and hand-painted spring couplets and lintel

hanging. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 4. An exterior view of a household doorway displaying digitally printed

ephemera. In the middle, a calendar advertisement for a children’s medicine company has

been appropriated for display as a protective nianhua. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 5. Example of an early 20th century Shanghai calendar poster (yuefenpai nianhua)

from the Kwong Sang Hong Company based in Hong Kong, a manufacturer of household

supplies. The poster depicts an auspicious scene of two beautiful women standing in a

garden, surrounded by luxury commodities on all sides. The company name is at the top,

sandwiched between a lotto announcement and calendar.

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Figure 6. The inaugural state calendar of 1912 for the Republic of China, showing the

newly adopted symbols of the state, including a portrait of president Sun Yat-sen, the

five-colored flag, and calendrical information for both the traditional luni-solar calendar

and the newly adopted Gregorian calendar.

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Figure 7. Peasant Girl, Factory Boy. An example of state sponsored “new nianhua,”

produced in Mianzhu during the 1950s. A peasant girl riding an auspicious phoenix and a

male factory worker riding a dragon take the place of door deities.

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Figure 8. A map of major nianhua production centers across China. Drawn by April Liu.

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Figure 9. Mianzhu, Jiajiang, and Liangping, the three major woodblock-printing areas

near Chengdu, are connected by waterways and transit routes for trading. Drawn by April

Liu.

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Figure 10. A 1962 photograph of Wang Tianbao’s nianhua workshop in Mianzhu where

“traditional prints” were sold alongside the reformed “new nianhua” during the print

reform campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s. A group of observers admire a reformed print

in the foreground while the prints hanging on the back wall depict traditional door deities.

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Figure 11. Warrior Door Deities early 20th century, woodblock print, Mianzhu.

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Figure 12. Cat Deity, early 20th century, woodblock print, Mianzhu. These protective

“square prints” were displayed indoors near food storage rooms and kitchens to ward off

hungry rodents.

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Figure 13. An unidentified scene from Journey to the West, late 19th century, horizontal

scroll painting or “picture strip,” Mianzhu, Sichuan. © Museum of Anthropology,

Vancouver, Canada.

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Figure 14. The labor-intensive phase of carving requires great precision to ensure

smooth and fluid lines capable of withstanding multiple printings. Cherry and pear wood

are preferred materials for the durability they provide.

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Figure 15. Detail of a carved block from the late 19th century, showing a darkened color

from repeated use.

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Figure 16. In the finishing stages, a painter applies colors and details over the printed

outline. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 17. The photograph above shows a collection of small size stamps used to add

finishing touches to a print. Below is a detail of gold stamps applied to a dried print.

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Figure 18. Warrior Door Deity, late 19th century, woodblock print, Mianzhu. The

slightly raised white outlines are a characteristic trait of Mianzhu nianhua known as

mingzhang minggua. The detail of the crown on the right shows the use of white

pigments to outline certain darker areas, such as the deep blue parts of the costume,

creating depth, contrast, and movement.

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Figure 19. Exterior view of the Mianzhu Nianhua Museum, opened in 1996 to showcase

the expanding state nianhua collection and to boost local tourism. Photograph by April

Liu.

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Figure 20. Exterior view of the Nianhua Village, a combination of shops, restaurants,

farming plots, and living spaces. The entire neighborhood is dotted with large murals of

historic nianhua, painted by a privately contracted advertising company. Photograph by

April Liu.

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Figure 21. A black and white photograph taken by in the early 1980s shows a makeshift

outdoor stand selling prints in a winter street market.

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Figure 22. A 2004 photograph shows how Mianzhu’s nianhua street markets have

expanded in scale and scope, with a greater variety of goods and a more regimented use

of street space.

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Figure 23. Tianshuijiao, late 19th century, woodblock prints, Mianzhu, Sichuan.

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Figure 24. Exterior view of a household doorway in an urban residential neighborhood

in Mianzhu. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 25. Exterior view of an urban household doorway in Mianzhu with a calendar

advertisement displayed in the center framed by a set of hand-painted spring couplets and

lintel hanging. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 26. Digitally printed door deities, spring couplets, and lanterns adorn the doorway

of a well-to-do rural household in Mianzhu. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 27. An urban doorway in Mianzhu with a fengshui mirror displayed over the

center of the door. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 28. Interview session with Wang Xingru in his studio. A long worktable sits

beside the Wang family altar set against the back wall (left). Wang Xingru stands over his

box of lineage documents as state nianhua researchers Liu Zhumei and Ning Zhiqi take

notes (right). Photographs by April Liu.

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Figure 29. Front cover of the Wang family genealogy chart.

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Figure 30. The arrangement of the couplets on the genealogy cover (above) mirrors the

symmetrical placement of spring couplets around the studio entrance (below).

Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 31. A detail of the Wang family altar with a black and white photograph of his

grandfather in the center (left) and a detail of the Wang family’s ancestral tablet, which

bears the names of his forefathers (right).

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Figure 32. Each inside page of the Wang family geneaology chart represents a single

generation, which is numbered at the top of each page. The names of the parents of that

generation are followed by the names of their offspring and their birthdates.

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Figure 33. The back cover of the Wang family genealogy chart. The text reads, “A

riteous nation is harmoniously ordered like the stars in the sky, may upright officials

bring us peace. True wealth and honor are as precious as jade, may every generation

prosper.” Translated by April Liu.

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Figure 34. “Honoring the Deity of Agriculture,” a section of the Plowing and Weaving

Pictures, Jiao Bingzhen, commissioned by Kangxi Emperor, set of hand-colored prints,

ca 1696. © British Museum Trustees.

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Figure 35. “Honoring the Deity of Agriculture,” a section of the Plowing and Weaving

Pictures, Wang Zhengfa, ink on paper, late 19th cent.

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Figure 36. Examples of Wang Xingru’s ink on paper sketches, stored in his lineage box.

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Figure 37. Double Longevity, Wang Xingru, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper,

2004. Auspicious patterns from Wang’s sketches are incorporated into many aspects of

the painting.

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Figure 38. Map of Mianzhu’s historic nianhua sites, showing the territorial claims of the

Northern and Southern Schools of Mianzhu nianhua.

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Figure 39. Interview with Li Fangfu in his studio. From left to right: April Liu, Li

Fangfu, and Han Gang.

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Figure 40. The walls of Li Fangfu’s nianhua shop are covered on all sides with hanging

scrolls. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 41. Warrior Door Deities, Li Fangfu, woodblock prints, 2006.

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Figure 42. View of the painting and stamping room at the Chen family’s Southern

School workshop at the Nianhua Village. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 43. Boys Playing, detail of two woodblock prints from a set of seven, design by

Chen Gang, Chen family workshop, 2007.

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Figure 44. Photograph of Yao Chunrong painting, taken in the early 1980s by state

researchers.

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Figure 45. Group interview session with Wang Xingru, winter 2007.

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Figure 46. Wang Xingru hanging up his scroll painting of the Medicine King in

preparation for a storytelling session.

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Figure 47. Medicine King, Wang Xingru, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, 2004.

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Figure 48. On the left, researcher Ning Zhiqi looks up at the painting while Wang Xingru

on the right extends his pointing stick out to begin narrating the story of the Medicine

King.

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Figure 49. Medicine King, unknown workshop, undated woodblock print, Yangliuqing,

Tianjin.

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Figure 50. Interview with Chen Gang at the Chen family workshop, July 2006.

Photograph by Han Gang.

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Figure 51. Video still of Chen Gang explaining the process of carving as he points to

the carved block as an example of “yang carving,” where the negative space is carved

away to leave the lines protruding out of the block.

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Figure 52. In the promotional material for the Chengdu Sichuan Opera Theater, a

photograph of Mu Guiying captures the highly stylized gestures and costumes of Sichuan

theater.

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Figure 53. Female Door Deities, late 19th – early 20th century, woodblock prints,

Mianzhu, Sichuan. The figures are associated with the female warriors Mu Guiying and

Qin Liangyu, although there are no distinguishing features to tell them apart.

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Figure 54. In Sichuan’s famous “face-changing” theater, a performer takes on multiple

roles in a single performance by rapidly removing thin layers of painted silk masks that

are tightly bound to the face.

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Figure 55. Five Honourable Sons, late 19th century, handscroll, ink and color on paper,

Mianzhu, Sichuan. © Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

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56a.

56b.

56c.

56d.

Figure 56. Greeting Spring, Huang Ruigu, handscroll, ink and color on paper, ca. late

19th century. The painting is comprised of four horizontal scrolls that add up to

approximately six meters in length.

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Figure 57. Detail from Greeting Spring. The magistrate is carried on a sedan chair as he

leads the procession out of the town gates.

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Figure 58. Detail from Greeting Spring. The magistrate and his official entourage are

preparing to make sacrificial offerings to the spring deities in a ritual activity known as

“Welcoming Spring.”

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Figure 59. Detail from Greeting Spring. The magistrate is depicted in front of the county

bureau on a raised seat behind a table, presiding over the ritual of “Beating Spring.”

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60a

60b

Figure 60. Top, 60a: Detail from Greeting Spring, showing correspondences between the

depiction of the spring deities and the calendrical information for that year. Below, 60b:

Spring Ox Picture, ca. late 19th century, woodblock print, Shanxi.

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Figure 61. Detail of Greeting Spring, where a prominent shop sign reads: “Our shop sells

genuine chewable medicines of Sichuan and Guangdong.”

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Figure 62. Detail of the six “raised pavilions” being carried through the crowd.

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Figure 63. View of entrance lobby at the Mianzhu Nianhua Museum. Photograph by

April Liu.

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Figure 64. Upper level of the Mianzhu Nianhua Museum. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 65. Examples of shinutu or “beautiful maiden pictures,” woodblock prints, early

20th century, Mianzhu.

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Figure 66. Bicycle-riding Maiden, woodblock print, ca. late 19th cent., Mianzhu.

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Figure 67. Swan Cigarette Print Ad, digitally printed copy of a 1930s lithograph from

Shanghai. The “beautiful maiden” format is used to advertise foreign goods and services,

especially in Shanghai’s rising print industry of the 1920’s and 30’s.

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Figure 68. Press conference event at the Mianzhu Nianhua Museum, with hired artisans

performing embroidery of nianhua designs, 2006. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 69. Bicycle-riding Maiden, Chen family workshop, woodblock print, 2006.

In redesigning the historic print from the state collection (fig. 66), Chen highlights his

unique skills in painting and stamping.

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Figure 70. Li Fangfu in his studio, explaining the lifelike qualities of his door deity

paintings. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 71. Tianshuijiao, Li Fangfu, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, 2005.

Taking what was a small-format image made with left over papers and paints, Li

transforms the historic format into a carefully painted work on oversized vertical scrolls.

Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 72. Nianhua Village, Mianzhu. View of a rural household in the village, with

three “beautiful maiden” images painted onto the walls of a courtyard. Photograph by

April Liu.

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Figure 73. Bilingual sign installed at a crossroads at the Nianhua Village, pointing to

“Fresh Plum Garden” and “Happy Land Garden,” attractive names given to the different

farming plots integrated within the site. Vegetables and fruit trees can be seen in the

background. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 74. Nianhua Village, winter 2007, Mianzhu. View of an area under construction,

where painted stones bearing the characters for Confucian values are being permanently

installed. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 75. Exterior view of a private residence at the Nianhua Village in Mianzhu.

Traditional architectural features such as the upturned tiled rooftops and courtyard design

are combined with modern forms and materials such as concrete walls and parking lots.

Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 76. Local residents carrying out agricultural work in the Nianhua Village as part

of their daily routines. Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 77. Exterior view of the entrance to the Chen family workshop at the Nianhua

Village, 2007. Two large door deities are permanently painted onto the two sets of double

leaf doors. A plaque centered over the entrance reads, “Mianzhu’s folk nianhua

workshop.” On either side of the door, two painted couplets read, “In planting, a thousand

Mianzhu peasant families can work the hoe and the brush. Famous in the nation for ten

thousand beautiful works, the more rustic the more glorious they are!” Photograph by

April Liu.

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Figure 78. The street sign in front of Li Fangfu’s workshop reads: “Self made, self

distributing, unique talent of Chinese Folk Art.” The sign draws attention to his

independent status apart from the state-run Nianhua Village.

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Figure 79. The 2005 Nianhua Festival’s dragon dancing performance (below) is inspired

by this particular detail from the Greeting Spring scroll paintings (above).

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Figure 80. Top: detail from the Greeting Spring painting, showing a scene that inspired

the Nianhua Festival. Center: performers in historic costumes appear in the 2005 Nianhua

Festival carrying the same large sign for “spring” as seen in the painting. Below: the

central stage for the festival, where officials and honored guests preside over the

performances.

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Figure 81. Souvenir shop in Mianzhu with various fuzhipin replicas on display.

Photograph by April Liu.

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Figure 82. Recent incarnations of nianhua in new media, including a stamp series

bearing images of high profile prints (left) and hanging charms for the car (right).

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Figure 83. Straw Cutting Maidens, Liu Zhumei, acrylic on canvas, 1995.

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Figure 84. Door Deities, Liu Zhumei, acrylic on canvas, 2001.

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Figure 85. The Nianhua Village immediately after the 2008 Great Sichuan Earthquake,

photographs by Wang Hong.

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