"Six Babies," Wuqiang, Hebei Province (COURTESY OF YIN QI )

Door Gods are the most common type of traditional woodcuts in China, and they are pasted on the front or inside doors of the house to ward off evil spirits. They usually come in pairs, like the Spring Festival couplets, because traditionally a Chinese house had a double-leaf front gate that has two adjacent independent panels hinged on each side of the doorway.

Since the tiger and lion are regarded as auspicious animals in folk culture, their images are depicted on the prints to guard the house and bless the family. One painting on display at the exhibition is a lion holding a sword in mouth. "I found this print in Zhangzhou in southeast China's Fujian Province, where people hang it on their front doors to ward off evil spirits," said Yin.

People's wishes are also reflected in the prints. Pasting up the God of Wealth, for instance, is believed to bring wealth to the family, while the image of children is also largely depicted, as in traditional Chinese culture people believed that happiness lies in having many children. Images of pine trees, peaches, cranes and tortoises are meant to bestow longevity upon the members of the family, while fish indicates fertility, surplus and savings in Chinese mythology. 

Some of the paintings preach Confucius values and virtues such as loyalty, integrity, benevolence, righteousness and filial piety. Among them, the Twenty-Four Filial Sons and Daughters is the most popular. "The [New Year] paintings are an embodiment of Chinese people's ideals of life," Feng Jicai, Chairman of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society, told Culture Heritage magazine.

In addition, New Year paintings are closely associated to Chinese people's common aspirations and the unique language. An apple or a vase, for instance, are symbols of peace and security, for they share the same pronunciation in Chinese.

Other paintings also depict legends, folk tales, characters, scenes and episodes from popular novels and local operas, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Legend of the White Snake, while daily life and street scenes of an agricultural society are also illustrated in the prints, such as Farmers' Happiness and Spring Sowing, thus to a large extent enriching the art form.

"It's really interesting to learn the story behind each painting," said French tourist Philippe Langlois.

No wonder New Year paintings are called "the encyclopedia of folklore," as their subjects covered all aspects of social life. "The paintings contain abundant cultural symbols, conveying rich information. In this aspect, no other Chinese art can compete with it," Feng said.