Pictures perfect gifts

Beijing Weekend By Zhang Tianxin What should you bring as a gift if invited to the home of a Chinese farmer this coming Spring Festival? The answer is a new year picture. As an expat, you probably have no idea of the importance of new year pictures in the minds of Chinese farmers. Consequently, what is a relatively cheap gift assumes great significance and can win the enduring friendship of your host. The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is quite simply the biggest festival of the year in China. During the festival, most Chinese farmers take a break after a year of hard work and enjoy delicious food. The pasting up of new year pictures is another must for each farm household. Farmers believe that new year pictures can ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. They make use of them to decorate their rooms and add to the festive atmosphere. According to legends, Chinese people have kept the tradition of pasting up new year pictures for more than 2,000 years. In the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206BC-AD 220) dynasties, warriors with ferocious features were often painted in order to deter evil spirits from trespassing on their properties. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), new year pictures covered a wider range of subjects than before. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) saw new year picture production stepped up. Since then, Yangliuqing Town in northern China's Tianjin Municipality and Taohuawu Residential District in East China's Suzhou City have become the two most important places for the production of new year pictures. If the farm household you are going to visit has senior family members, it is best to choose pictures with the image of an amiable God of Longevity as the gift. In addition to the God of Longevity, pine trees, red-crowned cranes and honey peaches are usually included in the picture. The reason is quite simple: all of them symbolize longevity. In the eyes of Chinese people, a new year picture with the God of Longevity is the best way to express your wishes for someone to enjoy a long life. As a result, you will surely delight the elderly family members, especially if you accompany the gift with the propitious pronouncement: "You will live a long life just like the God of long life!" Endowed with a special meaning, pictures with fishes and lotus flowers are another popular choice. Chinese people see them as symbols of perennial wealth. The reason is closely related to the homophony of Chinese characters: The names of the two mascots strung together mean "abundant wealth in successive years." Sometimes, you do not have to send prohibitively expensive gifts in order to win your friends' favour. Gifts with a profound meaning, such as the new year pictures, reveal your true concern for your friends.

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