Female Characters in Chinese New Year Pictures of Ming and Qing Dynasties: Focusing on Taohuawu New Year Pictures

Abstract

This article analyzes the female characters in Taohuawu ( 桃花坞 ) New Year’s pictures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties from the perspective of human nature. The objective is to re-examine the beauty of the women in these pictures and to provide innovative ideas and aesthetic directions for the creation of new female-themed New Year’s pictures in the future. Among those with the theme of family life, the number of works focusing on women is significantly greater than that of men, which indicates that women played very important roles in family life. However, the essential connotation of the New Year’s paintings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties can be seen as a microcosm of the real life of women in an authoritarian society. They are often situated in a position of being bound and oppressed, with their behaviors strictly restricted behind the scenes, filled with happiness and richness; thus, their human nature of human being weakened and imprisoned. Many paintings depict women educating their children or doing housework to strengthen the quality of ancient women's hard work and responsibility while they had almost little right in political life. Although there are also powerful female characters in the New Year’s pictures, such characters only exist in fictional myths and historical stories, having nothing to do with real life, which was more like spiritual hypnosis for ancient females. Therefore, the author believes that in the process of the inheritance and development of New Year’s pictures, Instead of the ancient aesthetic orientation, it is crucial to create content from a perspective of humanity. It is necessary to fully respect women's personalities and spiritual independence so as to better inherit and develop Chinese New Year’s pictures.