Twinkling stars gather into history—Shandong Museum (Part 3): Viewing New Year Paintings along the Canal

New Year paintings, originating from ancient 'Door God paintings', are one of the folk arts of China, as well as a common folk craft. New Year paintings are a unique genre of Chinese painting and an art form beloved by the rural populace. They are typically posted during the New Year to decorate the environment, conveying blessings of auspiciousness and festivity, hence the name 'New Year paintings'. The subjects of New Year paintings are generally divided into four categories: deities and auspicious creatures, secular life, babies and beauties, and stories and legends. For example, 'Liu Hai Playing with the Golden Toad' tells the Taoist folk tale of Liu Hai playing with the golden toad and fishing for gold coins step by step, through which the common people pray for auspicious wealth and fortune. 'Viewing New Year Paintings along the Canal' breaks through the traditional chronological exhibition model, offering a dual-direction viewing route guided by the flow of the canal. The Grand Canal includes the Sui-Tang Grand Canal, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the East Zhejiang Canal, spanning eight provinces and municipalities, providing an unceasingly flowing important channel for north-south exchange, driving the economic and cultural development of towns along the river, and also promoting the rise, spread, and prosperity of New Year paintings. Entering from the north, the eye-catching red installation displays the characteristics of Shandong's New Year paintings, artistically restoring the usage scene of Confucius Mansion New Year paintings. Every year, the Confucius Mansion would overlay new Door Gods directly on top of the old ones, hanging them in wooden frames. The main entrance often features 'armored warrior' images of martial Door Gods; the inner house doors feature literary Door Gods like 'promotion to officialdom', 'advancement in salary', and 'fortune star', expressing beautiful wishes for peace and prosperity. Looking up, the lanterns also complement the New Year paintings. The 'Lantern Square' New Year paintings from Wuqiang, Hebei are very distinctive. Lantern Square paintings are used for lanterns, with subjects generally taken from operas and novels, playing an important role during the lantern viewing and riddle-guessing festival. Illuminated by candlelight, the colorful New Year paintings appear even more vivid and lively, and the diffused halo brings an antique effect. From a regional perspective, Taohuawu woodblock New Year paintings and Tianjin Yangliuqing woodblock New Year paintings shine together, known as 'South Peach North Willow'. Taohuawu New Year paintings are adept at using pink and light green, focusing on depicting urban life and citizen customs, especially with scenery, ladies, and literary, opera, and historical stories being the most typical, characterized by a fresh and elegant style. Tianjin Yangliuqing New Year paintings are characterized by delicate brushwork, beautiful characters, bright colors, rich content, diverse forms, and a harmonious atmosphere. This ancient Chinese folk art of New Year paintings embodies the unique history, wisdom, values, and spirit of the Chinese nation, and is one of the most representative symbols of Chinese culture. The diverse New Year paintings showcase the common vision of happiness among ordinary people along the canal. Shandong Museum