Yongtaixing rice paper pith Painting Shop (19th century)Guangzhou Museum
Over a century ago, before photography was invented, and as overseas trade expanded and more Westerners visited China, painters in Guangzhou seized the opportunity to open painting shops near the Thirteen Factories area of the city. Foreigners congregated there, hired artists to create a large number of different paintings for export. Rice paper pith paintings were a type of export painting that primarily depicted social life and street scenes in Guangzhou.
These palm-sized rice paper pith paintings sailed across the seas on countless ships, spreading the sights of Guangzhou (then known as Canton) in the East to all corners of the world, almost like hand-drawn photographs of Chinese landscapes. These artworks now serve as a crucial visual resource for scholars and enthusiasts seeking to understand and explore the daily life of the city's bustling port in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Guangzhou Museum has acquired more than 400 rice paper pith paintings depicting 19th-century urban life, after collecting and receiving donations from friends at home and abroad for over 20 years. This selection focuses on traditional Chinese New Year festival paintings, providing a glimpse into Guangzhou life over a century ago, and brimming with the romantic ambience of a southern canal town and the warmth of its people.
"Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth!"
In the past, residents of Guangzhou celebrated the Lunar New Year from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. On New Year's Eve, families would gather for a dinner, visit flower markets, and stay up late to welcome in the new year with firecrackers. It represents starting over and everything taking on a new appearance. Rice paper pith paintings depict lively scenes of dragon and lion dances.
A "Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth" New Year's card featuring a theatrical character (19th century)Guangzhou Museum
This New Year's card features the most popular Chinese New Year greeting, "Wishing you prosperity and wealth." Canton English was a language that emerged in the mid-18th century, following the development of commercial interactions between China and the West through the port of Guangzhou. In 19th-century foreign biographies, there are frequent records of Chinese guests flocking to Western merchants' shops to pay their respects during the Chinese New Year.
Dancing Dragon and Lion Awakening
Dragon dancing is one of China's most distinctive and popular forms of popular entertainment, frequently seen during festivals and celebrations, particularly during the Chinese New Year.
In Guangdong, dragon dances come in various styles. There are 72 different types of dragon dance across the country. Guangdong alone has 36, due to its abundant water resources and the close relationship between people and fish or snakes—which some people refer to as baby dragons.
Rice paper pith watercolor painting of a dragon dance (19th century)Guangzhou Museum
This painting depicts a scene of a dragon playing with a pearl. The dragon dashes out, rolls left and right, and twists and turns, showing off its graceful moves.
Lion dance (19th century)Guangzhou Museum
People in Guangzhou believe that lion dances bring good luck and prosperity, so they are always performed during festive occasions such as Chinese New Year. They are described as "awakening the lion." Lions in Guangzhou have different expressions and perform various movements, such as picking vegetables, climbing stairs, paying visits, and parading around.
Guangzhou's lion is known as the Southern Lion. It has distinct characteristics, including a high and narrow brow, large and expressive eyes, a wide smiling mouth, a broad back, and teeth that can be hidden or revealed. During lion dance, someone in a mask leads the lion and holds a fan to entice it. This person is known as the lion leader or the big-headed Buddha. This painting depicts the big-headed Buddha holding a folding fan and tossing an embroidered ball to the lion.
Lanterns for the Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival begins on the 14th day of the first lunar month, with the opening of lantern markets. The streets are lined with lantern stalls displaying a variety of decorative designs. On the main day of the festival, families make offerings to deities, while cities hold lantern processions with performances involving singing, dancing, acrobatics, and traditional opera. Fireworks are set off, and lantern-related riddles are solved in a festive atmosphere.
Festive lantern and the parade of the Clam Dance (19th century)Guangzhou Museum
Guangzhou is on the coast of the South China Sea and has a rich maritime culture. The ancient Yue people were skilled boaters and had close relationships with aquatic animals. In Cantonese, fish, shrimp, and crabs are frequently used as metaphors. For example, a fish represents a gullible person, a big-head shrimp represents a careless person, and an upside-down basket crab represents a chaotic situation that cannot be resolved.
These export rice paper pith paintings, produced over a century ago, allow us to experience Guangzhou's unique festive customs and ever-changing cultural landscape. Guangzhou's seasonal festivals originate in Central China and have a rich and vibrant history.
Lantern Festival parade (19th century)Guangzhou Museum
They are a social tradition—the most representative of regional folk culture, as well as national culture and Chinese civilization. Like postcards from the past, these artworks will enable people to rediscover Guangzhou's history, inherit a rich cultural tradition from historical relics, and continue writing new stories about the city.
