Chinese New Year paintings held in the Shanghai Library

Posted on Nov 05, 2014, by Jiaxun Wu, Chinese Studies Librarian, and Yuan Zhou, Curator of the East Asian Collection

Exhibit Location: The Joseph Regenstein Library, Fifth Floor
Exhibit Dates: October 31, 2014 – February 28, 2015

The children of a wealthy family are playing drums and suona to celebrate the New Year. In the background the grandfather scold a naughty child. — The children of a wealthy family are playing drums and suona to celebrate the New Year. In the background the grandfather attends to his grandchild.

Chinese New Year painting is a unique and fascinating genre of Chinese painting. Customarily, these paintings are often posted by Chinese people in their homes to celebrate the New Year, offering hopes and blessings for an auspicious and happy New Year.

A family is celebrating the Lantern Festival. — A family reunion during the Lantern Festival. The peonies and plum blossoms in the vase indicate the season and create a festive atmosphere.

Over the years, the Shanghai Library has collected over 4,000 New Year paintings produced from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the early years of the Republican Period. This exhibition displays 10 replicas of New Year paintings selected by the Shanghai Library from their collection, which focus on local products and cover eight topics including, for example, “Good Fortune,” “Happy Family,” “Auspicious New Year”, “Celebrating the Lantern Festival,” and “Children at Play.”