In an ancient city like K, it's indeed a perfect place to hold traditional Chinese New Year activities.
The city's streets and alleys are already brightly decorated, and various New Year's markets attract shoppers. Almost everyone's face is filled with the joy of abundance and family reunion.
As the New Year approaches, the number of hotel guests is dwindling. Wei Dong suspects that only his group of ten might check in on New Year's Eve.
To conserve their energy for the upcoming New Year's Day painting session, everyone went to bed early on New Year's Eve. This was probably the most unique New Year's Eve of their lives.
Because they didn't sleep well, many members were repeatedly awakened by the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers in the middle of the night. After waking up, they found it difficult to fall back asleep. The jubilation of the world outside the window only made them feel more desolate. They
remained half-asleep, half-awake, with a night filled with chaotic dreams.
The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. Before dawn, everyone started getting up. Looking out at the cold yet bustling dawn, Shao Ling murmured to himself, "If we were back in my hometown for the New Year, we'd be up visiting relatives by now."
Wei Dong sighed, but still patted Shao Ling on the shoulder, "Have something to eat. Ke'er cooked some frozen dumplings. The hotel restaurant is closed today, so we'll have to figure it out ourselves."
"In the North, dumplings are a must on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year," Qin Ci said, already ready to go to Ke Xun's place for dumplings.
...
At 10:00 AM, the activities at the K City Folk Art Museum officially began.
The "Nine Exhibition Hall," located on the third floor of the museum, opposite the "Eight Exhibition Hall" which displayed couplets, would be showcasing various Chinese New Year paintings.
Although the Folk Art Museum hadn't announced the exhibits in advance, Mu Yiran had managed to find out about the "Nine Exhibition Hall" a few days prior, so everyone had spent almost all their time in K City studying the New Year paintings.
"I'm really worried we'll end up with that classic New Year painting…" Wei Dong walked around the crowd in the lobby on the first floor, unable to believe that so many visitors could gather on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
"Brother Dong, are you talking about that big, chubby baby with its head and tail connected? Three heads and six arms riding a carp and holding a lotus flower… It's called 'Abundant Fish Every Year,' right?" Luo Yu chimed in, as if on cue, while carefully avoiding a large group of children trying their hand at cotton tie-dyeing at the stalls.
The lobby on the first floor of the art museum was ingeniously designed like a temple fair, with each stall displaying different traditional New Year works—paper cutting, tie-dyeing, cloth paintings, kites, dough figurines… Every stall was packed with people. Besides admiring and buying these traditional New Year artworks, everyone was eager to try their hand at DIY, making the "temple fair" even more lively.
The ten members finally breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the third floor via the escalator, finally avoiding the bustling crowds, and most importantly, the children.
The "Nine Exhibition Halls" were right in front of them. There wasn't even a proper entrance; instead, a huge New Year's painting of Shen Tu and Yu Lei served as a large screen at the entrance.
Looking at the two imposing door gods in the painting, visitors couldn't help but feel a sense of insignificance and security.
Ke Xun stood at the entrance and saw a woman in a wheelchair about to enter. He quickly and swiftly pushed her wheelchair away from the doorway.
The woman in the wheelchair didn't show any panic; instead, she calmly looked at Ke Xun, politely asking with her eyes why he had done this—yes, her eyes alone were exceptionally polite.
Ke Xun explained, "We just came from this exhibition hall. The smell of the renovations inside was very strong, the formaldehyde odor was pungent, it wasn't suitable for visiting." "
Thank you," the woman nodded slightly. "
Is it convenient for you? Would you like me to take you to another exhibition hall?" Ke Xun asked.
"My wheelchair is fully functional, thank you," the woman said, then easily turned her wheelchair around and headed in another direction.
Ke Xun breathed a sigh of relief. If the woman with mobility issues had entered the painting, the consequences would have been dire.
His companions were used to Ke Xun's behavior and stood silently at the entrance waiting for him.
Although everyone was curious about the paintings in the exhibition hall, they all knew that no matter how well-prepared they were, the painting guide couldn't possibly make the person entering the painting guess which one they were about to enter.
After the ten people stood in front of the exhibition hall, they went in in twos and threes.
"You all must have seen it just now. There's a huge door god painting at the entrance of this exhibition hall. There's a certain meaning to placing such a painting in such a prominent place." A man's voice rang out in the exhibition hall.
Wei Dong looked at the group of people huddled together in the exhibition hall: "I didn't expect there to actually be a group visiting... I've been to so many art museums, and this is the first time I've seen a tour guide..."
"Brother Dong, that's a guide." Gu Qingqing corrected him softly.
Wei Dong glanced at the middle-aged tour guide—no, the middle-aged interpreter—in the crowd, and a thought suddenly struck him: "If we ask this person if there are any New Year paintings with special significance in this exhibition hall, would that be helpful to us?"
"It's hard to say," Shao Lingxian said pessimistically. "In terms of significance, every painting has its own meaning. The paintings we've seen before, sometimes when you look at the picture alone, don't seem to have anything particularly special about them."
"That's true," Wei Dong's gaze swept over the brightly colored New Year pictures. "We can't just ask which artist has passed away, can we…"
"I think we don't need to ask. The labels here have boxes around the names of deceased artists," Gu Qingqing said from the side.
Luo Yu looked at each picture one by one, probably a little surprised: "How… how come they're all boxed… could it be that these artists are all…"
Shao Ling's expression remained calm: "The boxes are the names of the woodblock printmakers. Most of the New Year pictures displayed here have a certain history. Look at this 'Qilin Bringing a Child' picture, the printing date is 1907. The woodblock printmaker back then must have passed away long ago. And this 'Lucky God' picture, the printing date is 1931. Even if the woodblock printmaker is still alive, he would be a centenarian."
"Judging by this, all these New Year pictures are antiques," Luo Jin stared at each one. The auspicious, vibrant colors seemed somewhat eerie under the guise of being "into the picture." After a shudder at the lifelike "Zhong Kui Gazing in a Mirror," Luo Jin turned to his companions. "This exhibition hall is huge. That group over there must be at least thirty people. More might come in soon."
The large number of people in the hall meant it was safe for now; at least the "into the picture" incident wouldn't happen immediately.
"We don't need to look at the New Year pictures we already know. Focus on the unfamiliar designs," Mu Yiran, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
Everyone understood and began to study the unfamiliar New Year pictures.
The exhibition hall was relatively quiet at this time, and the guide's voice clearly reached the ears of every visitor: "These large sheets with added gold powder are called 'Golden Palace Tips,' and sheets that are three-dimensional are called 'Golden Three Talents.' The 'Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity' sheet we see now belongs to the 'Golden Three Talents' category."
Soon, an inquisitive visitor asked, "Mr. Hua, you just mentioned the difference between the blue and autumn editions. I see this 'Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity' sheet is marked as a blue edition. You mentioned that the blue edition is a work from before June. Is this because New Year's goods are very popular at the end of the year, and they were afraid they wouldn't be able to finish in the autumn, so they printed it in advance in the spring?"
The guide smiled slightly, very... He patiently explained, "Many people may have a vague understanding of New Year pictures, thinking they are only pasted up during the New Year. That's not the case. According to their purpose, New Year pictures can be divided into many categories. For example, wedding paintings are a type of New Year picture, used to congratulate newlyweds; fan paintings are a supplementary product during the summer off-season for New Year picture sales; there are also portraits of ancient industry patriarchs, and lantern screen paintings used during the Lantern Festival—all of these belong to the category of New Year pictures. Take this 'Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity' painting, for instance. It's a birthday New Year picture, usually used to create a festive atmosphere when an elder celebrates their birthday."
The visitors listened attentively, feeling they had gained a lot of knowledge.
Luo Yiran whispered, "I feel like all that research on New Year pictures these past few days has been for nothing… This teacher is introducing all new knowledge…"
Mu Yiran's expression was slightly unnatural. After exchanging a glance with Ke Xun, the two slowly blended into the crowd.
"My brother and brother-in-law are…" Luo Yiran asked, puzzled.
Gu Qingqing and Wu You weren't quite sure either. Qin Ci whispered to everyone, "Don't you think this guide seems like a 'chosen one'?" The group
felt a slight jolt. Although the guess was a bit cruel, Mr. Hua, the guide, really seemed perfect for the New Year picture-themed exhibit…
"Thinking about it, his surname is quite strange too. Why is it 'Hua' (画, meaning painting)?" Luo Cheng really wanted to ask if it was a single-character name, "Tui" (推).
Gu Qingqing couldn't help but correct him, "It should be 'Hua' as in Mount Hua."
For the rest of the time, they stopped analyzing the matter and focused on studying the New Year pictures in the exhibition hall.
About half an hour later, the group of visitors slowly left. Mr. Hua, the guide, walked with them to the door and then didn't move another step.
Ke Xun, who was following in the crowd, stopped. "You...aren't you in charge of this tour group?"
Mr. Hua smiled. "I'm in charge of this New Year picture exhibition hall. If you two have any questions about the exhibits, please feel free to ask me."
Ke Xun couldn't help but sigh inwardly: It's simply fate...
"It's a great honor for today's visitors that Director Hua can personally be the guide," Mu Yiran said politely.
Director? Ke Xun then looked closely at the nameplate on Mr. Hua's chest, which read: Hua Jiqiu, Deputy Director of K City Folk Museum.
This man looked to be no more than 40 years old, yet he had already reached the position of deputy director. Judging from his explanation just now, he must have a wealth of knowledge about folk customs.
Hua Jiqiu smiled modestly. "I am deeply moved that you all could visit our museum on the special day of the Lunar New Year."
Ke Xun looked at Hua Jiqiu with some pity, but given the other party's work today, there was probably no reason to persuade him to leave the exhibition hall.
"Director Hua, are there any New Year paintings with special significance among those exhibited in this hall today?" Mu Yiran asked.
Hua Jiqiu thought for a moment, "In terms of price, there are indeed a few that are quite valuable. For example, this huge door god painting at the entrance is made from two whole pieces of wood and has already been acquired by a collector at a high price; also, the row of New Year paintings with gold powder on the side of the exhibition hall, whether it's the Gongjian or Sancai style, uses real gold powder, so they are also quite expensive."
"What if we consider historical significance or other aspects?" Mu Yiran asked directly, voicing his question.
Hua Jiqiu fell into deep thought, his eyes brightening slightly, "There is indeed a New Year painting that is quite unique. Please come with me."