CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK
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.
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.
Photos By: Zeng Yong
For China Daily
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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. |
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Clockwise: Xiao Yang prepares pigments before brushing them on the carved wood board. Xiao Yang introduces woodblock pictures to tourists in Tantou. Xiao Yang makes woodblockprinted pictures at home in Tantou. Xiao Yang (right) worked for a software firm before joining her mother, Yin Dongxiang, in making woodblock pictures. |
(China Daily 06/16/2018 page7)
