木版年画 (Mùbǎn Niánhuà)
Muban nianhua (木版年画 — woodblock New Year print) is China's most widespread folk art print tradition — producing festive images for lunar New Year using hand-carved woodblocks and sequential color printing in regional styles including Yangliuqing (Tianjin — hand-colored after printing), Taohuawu (Suzhou — pure woodblock multi-color), and Zhuxianzhen (Henan — the most ancient form, black-line dominant). The carving of the key block (keyblock — black outline) from pear or jujube wood is the foundational technical act: the keyblock defines all subsequent color block registration. The Yangliuqing tradition adds hand-coloring on top of the printed image — producing a hybrid print-painting that requires the colorist to 'breathe life into the lines' (kai xiang — opening the face) by adding facial modeling that transforms a flat printed face into a three-dimensional appearance.
Risk level: Endangered · Within China's national ICH system; various regional nianhua traditions on national ICH list
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