China FDC on "Fengxiang New Year Woodprints"

First Day Cover
首日封
Sobrescrito de 1.º Dia

China


Fengxiang New Year Woodprints

Date of Issue : 10 January 2011

4-1 : "General with a Whip in Hand"
4-2 : "The Boy Bringing Blessing"
4-3 : "Women Obsessed with Chrysanthemums"
4-4 : "Vase of Wealth and Honor"

The Fengxiang New Year Woodprints, primarily produced in Nanxiaoli, Beixiaoli and Chenzhen in Fengxiang County, Shaanxi province, has a history traced back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Today, more than 200 of traditional designs of the woodblock picture have been preserved, featuring a wide range of festive and auspicious subjects, block color printing, elegant yet bright colors and strong and smooth strokes. In the pictures, the door gods are vividly depicted by combining the images in traditional art forms like shehuo and Qinqiang Opera; women and little kids look beautiful and adorable, with typical northwestern characteristics; and opera stories and flowers are portrayed in distinctive styles. As one of the important genres of Chinese folk picture to celebrate the New Year, the art was included on the first National Intangible Cultural Heritage List by the State Council in 2006.