Folk artist in his 80s revives age-old woodblock printing
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E-mail Xinhua, April 1, 2020
In its heyday, more than 300 workshops created the artwork in the old canal-side market town of Yangliuqing in Tianjin. The canal helped transport the paintings to other places, boosting local tourism and the economy.
"The printings contain abundant themes and contents. Fish painting for water vat, featuring bright colors, was one of the most traditional types of Yangliuqing Woodblock Printing," Wang said, adding that it was popular among the common families.
Wang witnessed the ups and downs of this traditional Chinese folk art.
He started making a living by selling the woodblock printings when he was a teenager.
"Those families who had water vats usually bought one picture for a good omen," he said. "I walked through the streets with my father to advertise these pictures. I could earn two (around 28 U.S. cents) to three yuan a day and eat some dumplings, a delicacy at that time."
His heyday came after the reform and opening up in the late 1970s. Every day, he carried rolls of printings and rode a bike to the bazaars in the downtown areas. "I sold about 5,000 pieces at most in a year."
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