The exhibition's curator, Xu Chen, has orchestrated this dialogue between past and present, and north and south in the displays, aiming to introduce audiences to an ecosystem where the art is made, not just shown.
Visitors to the exhibition first step into the world of Auspicious Arrivals at the Door, which chronicles the evolution of door gods. From the ancient mythical guardians to the vastly popular Tang Dynasty generals, these protectors transformed over centuries from fierce exorcists into benevolent bringers of blessings.
A standout piece is a rare single-door guardian in the form of a majestic equestrian figure of Lord Guan (a deified general and god of wealth), which was reproduced from a lost Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) woodblock.
"It's perfectly suited for modern apartment doors," Xu notes.
Moving into the Welcoming Fortune and Happiness section, visitors are surrounded by visual puns. A chubby baby holds a carp (yu), a homophone for "abundance". A child rides a tiger (hu), echoing the sound for "blessing" (fu).
"This was how folk wisdom and wishes were encoded and passed down through generations," Xu explains.
The Operas Transformed into Painting section reveals nianhua's role as pre-modern home entertainment. These prints captured climactic scenes from popular operas, often arranged in a series like a storyboard and pasted around the family kang (heated brick bed) to narrate tales of loyalty, love and adventure.
Finally, the Seasonal Scenes and Objects area grounds the art in the rhythms of agrarian life. The Spring Ox print marked the solar term Start of Spring (li chun), urging farmers to till the land. The Nine-Nine Cold Dispelling Chart served as a ritualized countdown to spring. These prints functioned as a household's almanac, aligning daily life with the cycles of nature.
The exhibition coincides with 2026, the Year of the Horse, and features equestrian elements, notes Chen Xiaowen, deputy director of museum.
The horse's symbolic charge through Chinese culture has enamored the Chinese people as "it stands for vigor, perseverance, and success", Chen says.
The exhibition harnesses this energy by curating a galloping array of "equestrian" nianhua, tying the ancient art to the perennial zodiac cycle and making historical blessings feel immediately personal, he adds.
In a world of fleeting digital pixels, the physicality of nianhua is its power. It is art people can smell, feel, and watch as it is born from material and muscle memory. It reminds people that some of humanity's most profound hopes are still entrusted to seasoned wood and patient, skilled hands.
