Call of a craft

Folk value

In recent years, Tantou-style New Year pictures have gained attention beyond the country's borders.

Zhong displayed her works in Warsaw in 2018 during an intangible cultural heritage exchange program. Afterward, she traveled to the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic to participate in other cultural exchanges and got a sense of the interest in the pictures overseas.

"Foreign friends love this traditional Chinese culture," Zhong says.

"Each time we went abroad for such exchanges and exhibitions, the several large boxes of New Year paintings that we took with us were sold out."

Sun Chan, an official with the Hunan literary and art federation, says red was the most frequently used color in the early stage of the craft's development, which was related to the folk custom of "driving away evil spirits".

"Just like firecrackers and red candles, strong red color also symbolizes good luck and prosperity in local culture," Sun says.

Tantou used to be a small town but has managed to preserve all processes of making such paintings, which is rare, she adds.

"This is also a reason why the pictures have both folk style and value," Sun says.

Although things have changed a lot over the years, the New Year pictures are still a name card for the town and an emotional connection for people from the province.

In her works, Zhong has incorporated elements of Tantou's culture and tourism to appeal to travelers to Hunan. She says the cultural connotations in the pictures enrich travelers' experience.

"We can call on artists in our field to create culture and tourism-themed paintings and collaborate with various cities in hosting festivals and exhibitions to promote the art and let more people learn about Hunan," Zhong says.

She plans to incorporate more local natural landscape and folk stories into the New Year pictures in the future.

Zhong has started Tantou-style New Year picture classes in Changsha to popularize the craft.

"We are booked by visitors, especially for primary school students, for 20 days every month during spring and autumn," she says.

Zhong has worked with local beverage and clothes brands and restaurants, as well as game designers to expand the presence of the pictures in daily life.

"We can explore more possibilities to integrate the craft in modern life, so it can retain vitality and live on."