Knowing All about Hunan

Chip off the old block

Editor:张焕勤
Source:中国日报
Updated:2018-06-19 09:36:55

Xiao Yang (left) and her mother Yin Dongxiang make woodblock pictures together at home in Tantou of Longhui county, Central China's Hunan province, on May 19. [Photo by Zeng Yong/For China Daily]

  A young person tackles an ancient art, and a cultural heritage takes shape again

  The tradition of making woodblock-printed Spring Festival pictures dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in Tantou of Longhui county, Central China's Hunan province, and was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

  Xiao Yang, who has seen her mother Yin Dongxiang practice the time-honored art from childhood, is among the youngest inheritors of the cultural heritage.

  She worked in a software company in the provincial capital Changsha after graduating from college in 2016, but returned to her hometown of Tantou last year to focus on the making of the woodblock-printed Spring Festival pictures after quitting her job.

Xiao Yang prepares pigments before brushing them on the carved wood board. [Photo by Zeng Yong/For China Daily]

  She is now dedicated to learning the old art and passing it down to future generations. In the future, she plans to develop derivatives from the pictures and see them in the market.

  She believes that if the business proves successful, the passing and spreading of the cultural heritage will no longer be a problem.

Xiao Yang presses paper onto the carved wood board at home in Tantou. [Photo by Zeng Yong/For China Daily]

Xiao Yang introduces woodblock pictures to tourists in Tantou. [Photo by Zeng Yong/For China Daily]

Xiao Yang makes woodblock-printed pictures at home in Tantou. [Photo by Zeng Yong/For China Daily]

Xiao Yang (right) worked for a software firm before joining her mother, Yin Dongxiang, in making woodblock pictures. [Photo by Zeng Yong/For China Daily]