Beijing exhibition displays the essence of the Spring Festival
Folk artist shows papercutting to children at the exhibition on Tuesday. Photo: Li Hao/GT
On the first day of the Spring Festival, firecrackers are set off in the morning to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck throughout the whole year. People also spend the day visiting family and friends, during which time elders give out red packets of money, a tradition that can be traced back to giving yashengqian (coins for holding down and conquering evil spirits) in ancient China.
If you are looking to learn more about the Spring Festival, an exhibition on folk art and the festival currently being held at the National Library of China in Beijing is worth checking out.
Kicked off Tuesday, the Time Filled with the Fragrance of Books, Old Couplets Replaced with New Ones exhibition is scheduled to run until the end of February. Through various mediums such as classic literature, New Year pictures (known as nianhua in Chinese) and traditional papercutting, the exhibition illustrates the customs and traditions of the Spring Festival, and shows how they have evolved since ancient times.
Papercutting on display Photo: Li Hao/GT
"The National Library of China has been holding exhibitions on folk art and the Spring Festival with various themes since 2015," said Rao Quan, director of the National Library of China, at the opening ceremony. "We hope that these exhibitions can help awaken people's memories and old feelings about the Spring Festival and allow Chinese culture to be passed on."
Several folk artists were also invited to the exhibition to show off traditional papercutting and how to write Spring Festival couplets, offering visitors a closer look at the intangible cultural heritage of the festival.
New Year picture (known as nianhua in Chinese) on display the exhibition Photo: Li Hao/GT