Enhancing the Tradition of“Pasting Spring Festival Couplets”

Chen Fangyuan

Abstract： Through the comparative method， this paper attempts to argue that the tradition of “pasting the Spring Festival couplets” has been inherited and enhanced over time. There is no denying that this tradition has being constantly changing in form， but its content meanwhile remain inherited and enhanced.

Key words： Spring Festival Couplets， inheritance， enhancement

中圖分類號： 文獻標識碼：A 文章編號：1674-3520（2014）-0209--02

Since the ancient times it has become Chinese tradition to paste unique couplets on the eve of the Spring Festival （Xiao Fang 90）. Then， in modern times why do we Chinese still observe this past tradition？ Thats because Spring Festival couplets embody rich cultural connotations and reflect traditional Chinese Culture. They are characterized by “propitious color and language， meet Chinese psychological pursuit of auspiciousness （Tan Yeting and Zhang Yingjie， 232-233）. More specifically， one reason is that red is “a symbolic color of happiness” in China. Hence， red couplets have a high position in Chinese ideology. Whats more， the content of couplets expresses jubilancy， wishes and blessings， fortune， happiness， prosperity.

However， Zhong Bingshan， Chinese celebrated calligrapher expresses his concern that our traditional Spring Couplets lose their former position nowadays， as traditional handwritten couplets are replaced by modern printed couplets. Yet，as time passes by， Spring Festival couplets do not change much in content， but remain the traditional concept （propitious culture）instead. Moreover， the popularity of printed couplets popularizes the culture of couplets， since more couplets are circulated in the market. So， the tradition of pasting couplets does not fade in modern times， but it is enhanced instead，which is what the following part further demonstrates by comparing their past and present.

2.1.1 Historical development of the Spring Festival couplets .“In the beginning， putting Spring Festival Couplets on the doors was a privilege for aristocratic families. Later they became popular among commoners. “In the Song Dynasty （960- 1279）， pasting Spring Festival couplets grew into a popular folk custom. The Ming Dynasty （1384-1644） saw a greater popularity of the custom. This was partly owed to Zhu Yuanzhang （1328-1398）， “the Ming Dynasty Emperor Taizu who attached importance to the couplet”. Whats more， the popularity of pasting Spring Festival couplets was also due to the development of papermaking， technology which made it possible to replace peach wood with red paper （Zhang Xiaohua 36- 41）.

So， in past few centuries， renovation in forms of couplets had not caused destruction to traditional custom of pasting Spring Festival couplets， but accelerated its popularity instead. Even in modern society， this past tradition is still inherited and above all is enhanced， which the following part discusses.

2.1.2 Enhancement of the tradition of Pasting the Spring Festival Couplets.Nowadays， the development of typographical technology makes it possible to mass-produce printed couplets， which are more exquisite and popular than former handwritten couplets. Thus， considering the massive market demand， businessmen grasp the opportunity to make much more profits by promoting mass-produced printed couplets. As a result， when the Spring Festival is around the corner， the market is filled with all kinds of red printed couplets which embody auspiciousness， festiveness， and happiness. However， the popularity of printed couplets worries some elder scholars of folklore， considering the gradual disappearance of handwritten couplets.

Its true that the handwritten couplets are gradually disappearing nowadays， yet the culture of couplets is carried forward instead. The development of technology doesnt make us forget our past tradition， for printed couplets are produced based on the traditional handwritten couplets. Whats more， the massive market demand can also reflect peoples common recognition of the culture of Spring Festival couplets. “As is true with any consumer good， consumption gives rise to demand， and demand generates a market and stimulates production”.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion， as time passes by， the past tradition does not changed much， but remains the traditional concept instead. No matter how the society changes， our heritage of Spring Festival Couplets is still very important in People's mind. The recognition of couplet culture from the past will not fade despite the fact the society changes.

Traditions of the Spring Festival“entrails a complex set of relationships between the past and the present， in which the past precedent for the present and the present reflects the past in its adherence to a particular tradition” （Green 800）. Whats more， from past to present， they represent both continuity through time and innovation within particular forms. The continuity manifests itself through content. That is to say， a set of preexisting culture has been passed down from one generation to the next. In the performance of these traditions， these preexisting cultures are of great importance to the Chinese people through time. Although the future is unknown to us， yet the high status of traditions has been reflected through time.

Works Cited

Green， Thomas A. Fokllore： an Encyclopedia of Beliefs， Customs， Tales， Musics， and Art. ABC-CLIO. 1997. Print

Tan Yeting， Zhang Yingjie. Chinese Folk Culture. Beijing： Economic Science Press. 2010. print.

Xiao Fang. Spring Festival. Beijing：Xinzhi Sanlian Bookstore. 2009， Version 1.

.Zhang Xiaohua. Chinese Traditional Culture Studies. Bejing： Chinese Youth Publishing House. 2007.