New Year paintings exhibit at Beijing Fun: integrated science and technology, traditional art take new look

By Zhang Andi

New Year paintings are a form of traditional Chinese art, which can be traced back to Han Dynasty. Pasting New Year paintings during the Spring Festival used to be a popular tradition in rural areas in China.

The building of the former Beijing Quanye Chang, which has a history of more than 100 years, is the exhibition area of the series of activities of "Appreciating New Year pictures and Celebrating Chinese New Year" in Beijing. People can experience the charm of New Year paintings there through various exhibitions and interactive experiences.

The exhibition is divided into five sections. The three core sections of the exhibition -- "Home full of Spring", "Songs of The Times" and "Years of Prosperity and Abundance" feature well-off lives, bumper harvests, and auspicious festivals. The two special sections of " Paintings for Winter Olympics" and "Cultural Products Innovation" focus on the theme of the Winter Olympics and the Beijing central axis, highlighting elements of Beijing characterisitcs and capital culture.

In order to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, the "Hundred Tigers" hanging device was set up on the top of the Octagonal hall of Quanye Square. Various images of tigers were painted on different forms of lanterns, such as Kongming lanterns, symbolizing blessing.

The exhibition also integrates science and technology elements to create a new mode of spatial narratives, exhibition and performance integration, audio and painting immersion, and interactive experience. The exhibition site is equipped with AR dynamic exhibition, face recognition interaction, Spring Festival couplets interaction and other scientific and technological devices.

On the second day of the Chinese New Year holiday, the whole Beijing Fun was decorated, filled with a festive atmosphere. The colorful and exaggerative New Year paintings are children's favorite. So the exhibition was extremely popular on that day.

"I think the exhibition is lively and festive,” said Mr. Dou, a Beijing resident who works at the museum, “It’s a creative transformation of what we traditionally think of as New Year paintings, adding contemporary elements that make people feel fresh while adding a festive atmosphere to the lunar New Year.”

Mr. Dou accompanied his mother and father who had great interest on new year paintings to the exhibition. His mother, Mrs. Wang told me, “We used to appreciate Yangliuqing New Year Paintings. Through this exhibition, I feel that New Year paintings are innovative again.” (Note: Tianjin Yangliuqing New Year wood-block prints have been added to the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.)

Cultural and creative fairs have also gained popularity among the general public. Mrs. Wang showed the tiger ornaments she bought at the fair that marking the rewarding visit, “I bought a tiger,” she said, “It's like going to a lunar New Year fair.”