Twenty years ago I chose New Year paintings, the most important branch of Chinese folk art, as the subject of my master's degree thesis. At that time, my tutor Mr. Wang Shucun told me, "Among all Chinese folk art, New Year paintings are the richest, most artistically expressive and visuall7 appealing. In New Year paintings, stories are told, plots are designed, characters are depicted, painting strokes are used, composition and color matching are stressed, and "rhymes'are adopted for portraying the characters, describing sceneries, colors and meanings." Since then my personal interest and my research in New Yearpaintings has continued to grow.

Preface

Chapter One My Hometown, Fengxiang

Chapter Two Workshops for New Year Paintings in the Neighborhood and

the Pedigree of Tai Family's New Year Paintings

Chapter Three Grandpa Is a "Jack-Of-All-Trades"

Chapter Four My Father's Tragic Life of New Year Paintings

Chapter Five My Career in New Year Paintings

Chapter Six Ancestral Craftsmanship

Chapter Seven The Future of Fengxiang New Year Paintings

Appendix 1

Appendix 2