After reading the first blog, you could have a simple understanding of Foshan woodblock new-year prints and its current situation. I am going to show its brief history of ups and downs here.

The Woodblock New-Year Prints has a history of seven hundred years, and its appearance had a close relation with the block which began to thrive in Han and Tang Dynasty. In ancient times, people had the custom to paste Spring Couplets, Fu characters and New-Year Prints when the Spring Festival is coming. But the hand-made ones cannot meet the soaring demand before the Spring Festival, the woodblock prints is indeed wisdom of achieving more with less effort.

In many cities of China, there are some different Woodblock New-Year Prints with different local style, Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Weifang in Shangdong Province, Taohuawu in Suzhou and Foshan in Guangdong Province are the most famous for Woodblock New-Year Prints and called China’s four Woodblock New-Year Prints.

Foshan locates in the rich Pearl River Delta region, and as the transportation junction all the new-year prints of Pearl Delta River Region and even Southeast Asia are produced here.

Together with Hankou Town in Hubei Province, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province and Zhuxianzhen in Henan Province, Foshan Town was called China’s four famous towns in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Foshan’s woodblock new-year prints were the most popular during the reign of Emperor Yongle in Ming Dynasty, tens of millions of new-year prints were sold in a year.

The current situation of Foshan Woodblock New-Year Prints is bleak, its misfortune resulted from the unprecedented catastrophe of cultural heritage. “All of a sudden came the Cultural Revolution which led to finding places to bury those door-gods, and throw those color blocks away.”, Feng Bingtang said. In the wave of destroy the “four olds”, scared craftsmen of woodblock new-year prints destroyed all their belongings. “More than 200 sets, 800 blocks were spilt in pieces. If they existed now, they would be precious.”, when Feng Bingtang come to remembrance, he is a little bit sad. When the ancestor’s painstaking efforts became a stack of chopping wood, the glory of woodblock prints with 700 years’ history was committed to flames. If they had been burned, everything would have gone. The craftsmanship of woodblock prints was not worth a penny, all woodblock prints craftsmen had to live another kind of life.

More than ten years passed by, Feng’s family lived a totally different life. Feng Jun, the senior of craftsmen of woodblock new-year prints had realized his days have been numbered. He called his son, Feng Bingtang, to come to his bed, and said that the business of Woodblock New-Year Prints had brought up him and his brothers and sisters, one should never forget one’s origin. And Feng Bingtang is the only one able to make wood-block new-year prints, he cann’t say he won’t do it, he must pass down the craftsmanship of woodblock new-year prints. Father’s last wish is on Feng Bingtang’s mind forever, he returned to his former career. And fortunately, after burning some, Feng Jun stashed some beautiful blocks that he didn’t burn. He might not have expected, although he only hid more than 10 sets of engraving blocks, these engraving blocks have become the masterpieces of Foshan Woodblock New-Year Prints.

Feng Bingtang quit the job and gathered up that set of woodblock prints stuff, but he did not dare to sell woodblock new-year prints in a big way. The income of selling new-year prints can’t pay for his family expense. Faced with such an embarrassed situation, Feng Jingqiang gave his electrical business up to help his father in the 90’s. He wrote a letter to the mayor to ask the help from government to support the China’s historical culture. Because of this letter, Foshan municipal government entrust Foshan Folk Arts Research Institute to give aid to this folk craft, and hung a tablet of workshop of Foshan Woodblock New-Year Prints.

In the whole China’s woodblock new-year prints market, Yangliuqing new-year prints in Tianjin is the most famous, it even opened overseas branches; Taohuawu new-years prints in Jiangsu Province has already formed a cultural industry base; Weifang new-year prints in Shangdong Province also achieved the performance of selling 20 million per year. Only Foshan woodblock new-year prints rely on all by Feng’s father and son.

If you are interested in this amazing crafts, you are welcomed to visit Feng's century-year workshop in Foshan, Pujun Road and try to make a new-year prints by yourself.