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QUESTION:
The Chinese people have the custom
of sticking up pictures to celebrate
the traditional Lunar New Year - or
Spring Festival (Chunjie). The practice
was first recorded in historical works
of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
The custom is particularly popular
in the China's vast rural areas, where
just before the festival day every
household will be busy cleaning and
pasting colorful pictures or paper
cuttings on their doors, windows,
walls, even wardrobes and stoves.
The themes expressed in New Year pictures
cover a wide range, from plump babies
holding a fish to the Old God of Longevity,
from landscapes to birds and flowers,
from the ploughing cattle in spring
to rich harvests in autumn.
What is the purpose of putting up
these delicate and intricate paper
cuttings:
A. To ensure that household wins the
lottery during the coming year;
B. To bring luck to the household
for the year;
C. To ward off evil spirits;
D. So that your neighbors know that
you are at home.
ANSWERS:
B is the right answer.
Traditional paper cuttings feature
objects including the crane or the
peach which symbolize long life
or plums or peonies which are a
mark of good fortune and happiness.
To meet the specific needs of the
vast rural population, New Year
pictures are produced in all regions
in China with different local characteristics.
But the leading producers are at
three localities: Yangliuqing Village
near Tianjin, Taohuawu near Suzhou
and Weifang in Shandong. |
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| Category: China Trivia
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