Yangliuqing new year prints integrate Tianjin's 'Hehe' culture into centuries-old art

　　Yangliuqing New Year print “Lotus Brings Abundance Year after Year”.(Photo:China News Network/ Liu Yue)

　　(ECNS) -- In the historic town of Yangliuqing in north China's Tianjin Municipality, a picture in which a chubby child cradling a lotus and a big fish often catches visitors' eyes. This iconic image, from the classic Yangliuqing New Year print "Lotus Brings Abundance Year after Year," which embodies wishes for prosperity and family reunion, has remained a beloved favorite for generations.

　　Shaped by the Grand Canal's role as a north–south artery, Yangliuqing woodblock New Year prints blend the refinement of court painting, the elegance of literati art and the vibrant festivity of folk traditions. Listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, the craft's unique "half-print, half-paint" technique combines meticulous woodblock carving with hand coloring — a vivid expression of the Chinese concept of "hehe," or harmony and unity.

　　Yangliuqing woodblock New Year paintings originated in the Ming Dynasty and boast a history of more than 400 years.

　　"At its peak, Yangliuqing hosted more than 300 workshops and over 3,000 people engaged in the trade," said Huo Qingshun, a national-level inheritor of the craft and sixth-generation head of Yuchenghao, a century-old print studio. The family tradition has now passed to the seventh generation, who is incorporating contemporary design to bring the prints into daily life. From night lamps and multi-color stamp sets to creative packaging, traditional motifs are being reimagined for modern use.

　　Across Tianjin, Yangliuqing prints are finding their way into university classrooms, digital design labs, and cultural markets, drawing interest from young people. "For intangible cultural heritage to thrive, it must be seen, experienced, and embraced," said Zhang Hong, the seventh-generation successor of Yuchenghao.

　　From the cultural confluence of the Grand Canal to the balance of strength and delicacy in its craft, Yangliuqing New Year prints reflect Tianjin's openness and inclusiveness, while offering a window into the Chinese ethos of harmonious coexistence.