Traditional Woodblock Prints

Traditionally peasant families marked the New Year by pasting auspicious pictures on the doors of their homes.  In the centuries before printing machines, these were always made by woodblock printing, and those from the area around Suzhou were especially famous. Woodblock prints are carved by hand, traditionally in blocks of pear wood.  For single color prints, the woodblocks are simply inked up and then pressed onto the paper.
The patterns are meant to evoke ordinary people's wishes for happiness, prosperity, and good health in the coming year.  One traditional design is a pair of guardian gods (one for each door) - one a civil official and the other a soldier.  They were meant to protect the home and family from evil spirits and bad luck.  Other popular patterns use peaches (the symbol of longevity), gods from Chinese folk religion, or characters with auspicious meanings.