New Year Prints
New Year prints are a distinctive form of popular art, which, like spring couplets, also evolved from the tradition of peach wood charms.
These prints many be generally placed in three categories: wood block
prints, paper cuttings, and paper drawings. They were made by integrating
folk drawing techniques with the styles of traditional paintings, drawings
by the literati, and even western art for mass reproduction by wood
block printing, creating a final product that in style and form was
truly unique in Chinese art. The subject matter of the prints began
with door gods, gradually widening in scope
to become auspicious motifs used on celebratory occasions and to bring
luck and wealth. Later, the prints incorporated stories, dramas, and
folk customs to express the sense and sensibilities of the public. Door Gods, printed on paper and pasted on gates at New Year's time, are protectors of the house. There are two types of door gods: martial door gods and literary door gods. The former are usually generals depicted in life-size proportions, wearing full battle armor and wielding weapons. Commonly seen door gods of this type are " Shen Tu and Yu Lei," " Chin Chiung and Wei Chi-Kung," and "Wei Tuo and Chia Lan."
The literary door gods, on the other hand, are based on scholar-official figures and hung on courtyard or inside room doors. Popular characters of this genre include "San Hsing", "Wu Tze Teng Ke", and "Chuang Kuan Chin Lu."
 
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