凤翔木版画吸收了其他省木版画的优良传统，又吸取了汉唐壁画、石刻及古代绣像插图、秦腔的身段造型，结合民俗需要和人们的审美趣味，再经过历代艺人不断加工创造，逐渐形成凤翔木版画独特艺术风格和浓郁的地方特色。它赢得广大农民的喜爱，成为春节必备的年货，是百姓不可缺少的精神食粮。

China's Only Artist of Fengxiang Woodblock Printmaking

Welcome to Heartbeat, the show that gets to the centre of China's ever-changing lifestyle, yet still manages to discover the country's rich cultural heritage. I'm your host Jules Page.

On today's program we'll focus on traditional aspects of Chinese culture as well look towards China's future.

We'll meet Tai Liping, who is working hard to revive the traditional craft of woodblock printmaking of Chinese New Year posters.

We'll then speak with an inspirational young woman, 17 year old Li Chuheng, a high school student from Beijing, who recently participated in the Children's Climate Forum, in Copenhagen.

And as China moves from 'Made in China' to 'created in China' we'll provide a glimpse into a 'box shop', a new trend in Chinese design and retail.

In China, there are various Chinese New Year posters, dotted around during the Chinese New Year's celebration. Fengxiang (凤翔) woodblock printmaking new year posters are among the most distinguished ones. Prosperous in the past, Fengxiang New Year posters were ever at risk of vanishing. It is Tai Liping (邰立平) who manages to revive this traditional folk handicraft through his painstaking efforts.

Today Yingying brings us the story of Tai Liping, China's only artist of Fengxiang practiced in woodblock printmaking of new year's posters.

Reporter:

Tai Liping was born into a family who practiced the old tradition of Chinese folk art printmaking New Year posters for centuries. The family lived in Fengxiang in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a little village famous for being a center of the popular Chinese print.

Tai Liping's grandfather was a respected printmaker, proficient in various techniques like painting, carving and printmaking. Tai's father successfully succeeded in the ancient handicraft and passed it on to him when he was still very young.

"I learned printmaking from my father when I was only 6 or 7 years old and began to use knife to carve at 8 or 9. Later I learned to draw patterns for furniture like cabinets and even for coffins, which enhanced my drawing skills. I did all kinds of work and I learned all the techniques by myself."

The Tai Family Fengxiang has a history of over 500 years. The 20th-generation successor, Tai Liping has gained a bigger success than his seniors. Besides enjoying a wide reputation in China, he has drawn attention from abroad. Newspapers like the European Times have reported on him. His artworks have been shown in Europe, Australia and Asia.

Having been working in the field for 50 years, Tai Liping knows his New Year poster making just like he knows himself.

"It's a very complicated process, needing over 30 steps. First a pattern should be designed and then posted to a wood block. Normally we use pear tree wood and the wood cannot be used until it has been air-dried for 3 years. Then we carve according to the pattern and dye the carving afterwards. Then we draw a colored pattern according to the carving, then carve and dye again... finally we print the patterns and make the New Year posters."

Tai Liping says he is deeply delighted every time he sees the posters made by him on walls and doors, chanting the happiness for the Chinese spring festival. Another honor for him is that Fengxiang New Year posters are regarded by experts as the best exponent of Chinese New Year posters. He explains it is because compared with other New Year posters in China, Fengxiang is the one representing local tradition the best.

"Our northwest region used to be very remote and isolated. This made our Fengxiang posters scarcely impacted by the art from the outside world and thus create a unique traditional style."

Tai says the style of Fengxiang posters is its straightforwardness and brightness, always with bright colors, just like the local people in Fengxiang.

To protect the traditional art, Tai Liping has been through years of hardship.

The storm of the Cultural Revolution starting in 1966 severely damaged Fengxiang New Year posters. Over 1000 precious printmaking patterns passed on by Tai's forefathers were ruined and lost during the period. Tai and his father stepped on their tough journey for the search and collection of the patterns when China's Cultural Revolution ended in 1976. Tai says that was indeed a hard time.

"The time between 1978 and 1980 was the hardest time. We were so poor then that we could not even afford a pack of cigarettes. I remember the first time we took 30 yuan and the second time 300 yuan to travel everywhere to search for the patterns and buy them back. Gradually we collected back over 330 patterns, which included over 2000 woodblocks. They can fill a 5 ton truck. With them I can open a big museum."

Tai says he is now still trying to find the lost patterns and also making efforts to create new ones. He says innovation is essential to cater to modern people's tastes nowadays as this traditional handicraft is not as thriving as in the old days. Meanwhile, the machine-made fast production of the posters nowadays has severely impacted the traditional hand-made ones.

However, Tai says he will continue his efforts for the revival of the art.

Tai Liping's wife, Wang Huifang (王惠芳), has been working with him through the years. She has witnessed his hard work.

"Very hard. He has carved the wood for so many years and the wood is very hard to carve. He works so hard. He now has got a serious illness in his cervical vertebra."

Tai Liping excitedly says a book about Fengxiang New Year posters was featured at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year and drew wide attention. He says he believes more and more people will get to know about the ancient handicraft.

Thanks Ying ying for that story.
You're listening to 'Heartbeat'.

The younger generation has been expressing their concerns about the environment at the 15th UN Climate Change Conference.

Li Chuheng, or Jenna Li, is a 17-year-old high school student from Beijing, who participated in the Children's Climate Forum, held in Copenhagen. There she and her young peers drafted and published the Youth Climate Declaration, in an attempt to influence the world leaders' decisions. Earlier this week I had the opportunity to meet and speak with this impressive young woman.

You're listening to Heartbeat, the show that gets to the centre of China's ever-changing lifestyle, yet still manages to discover the country's rich cultural heritage.

One of the biggest trends in China is the move towards "Created in China," instead of "Made in China." Today we'll visit a "Box Shop," a new trend in Chinese design and retail.

The box shop is a regular store in a regular mall. But the business model is anything but regular. All the products are designed and made by individual people, not large companies. These designers are bringing innovative ideas to the market and contributing to the creative dynamism of China. Thomas Rippe and Xiao Dong have more.

(Audio report)

Thanks Tom and Xiao Dong and thank YOU for tuning into Heartbeat.

Now it's time for some music.

Last weekend, Hong Kong singer-songwriter Karen Mok rocked Beijing's worker's stadium with more than 30 of her most popular songs. Let's wrap up today's show with one of her classic hits: "If I Don't Have You." (如果没有你)

That was Karen Mok and 'If I don't have you'.

As always you can find more information on our website at crienglish.com. Special thanks to the 'China Now' team that helped make this show possible and for everyone here at Heartbeat. I'm Jules Page. Thanks for listening.