China News Agency, Shenyang, January 13 (Reporter Han Hong) Shenyang Forbidden City hung door gods on the 13th to welcome the arrival of the Lunar New Year, recreating the custom of the Qing Palace New Year.
Pasting Spring Festival couplets, hanging door gods, and writing blessings, these traditional customs of the Spring Festival run through ancient and modern times. The elements that are indispensable for the New Year in common people’s homes are also very important in the New Year in the Qing palace.
According to historical research, Emperor Shunzhi was the first person in the Qing Dynasty to order the hanging of the door god of the Han nationality.
Before the Qing Dynasty moved the capital to Beijing, the Manchus did not have the custom of hanging door gods and pasting couplets.
After the Qing Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, the Shenyang Forbidden City began to hang door gods and couplets.
The door gods and couplets used in the Imperial Palace in Shenyang were specially provided by the Imperial Painting Academy and Imperial Academy in Beijing, and there are strict regulations on what door gods and couplets to hang on each door.
Su Yang, deputy curator of the Shenyang Palace Museum, said that the Shenyang Palace Museum has been hanging door gods during the Spring Festival for many years.
The pair of door gods hung on the east gate that day were "generals". There are two symmetrical generals painted on the left and right of the door gods.
According to legend, the two were two generals of the Tang Dynasty, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Jingde. Among them, the white-faced one was Qin Qiong, and the black-faced one was Yuchi Jingde, commonly known as "white-faced" and "black-faced".
According to reports, the door gods hung in the Qing Palace are divided into four types: "General", "Fulu", "Wail" and "Panzi (Zhong Kui)". Different places have different door gods.
"General" door gods are often hung on the main gate of the palace, the main purpose is to ward off evil spirits and prevent the entry of beasts and ghosts.
The "Fulu" door-god is hung on the partition door of the palace, the "Baby" door-god is mostly hung on the door of the concubine's bedroom, praying for many children and blessings, and the "Panzi" door-god is mostly hung on the corner of the wall.
Different from folks who paste door gods on the door panels, palace door gods are hung up.
The door gods are first decorated on the frame with copper ornaments, and then hung on the gates of the palaces and halls.
The materials used in palace door god paintings are more particular. In addition to woodblock printing on paper and color painting, most of them are painted on coarse silk or cloth. The process of powder pasting gold and painting lacquered gold is one of the important bases for judging the difference between court New Year pictures and folk New Year pictures.
Mr. Li, who stopped to watch in front of the east gate of the Shenyang Forbidden City, said that seeing the New Year scene in the palace seemed to appear in front of the door god, he tasted a strong taste of the New Year.
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