Jiama Woodblock Printing Experience

Manager: Liu Mai

studio: Sanmu Painting Society

Age Group: 12 years and above

Course Overview: Choose different armor horse patterns, carve them on the rubber sheet, and make a monochrome draft by printing. If time permits and you are interested, you can add color to make a vibrant blessing.

Fees include: Carve horse and armor designs and frame your artwork to take home when you’re done.

Key Skills: Engraving/ Printing/ Painting (optional)

period: 3 hours

Place: Zhonghe Village

Jiama , a kind of woodcut print, is an item used by Chinese people to worship the God of Wealth, Chang'e, Kitchen God, God of Longevity and other gods, and is used for burning or pasting.

Armored horse paintings were introduced to Yunnan from the Central Plains during the Song Dynasty, as evidenced by the paper horse shop in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". The divine guards in "Water Margin" were able to travel a thousand miles a day because they had armored horses tied to their legs. According to Baoshan historical records such as "Yongchang Prefecture Records" and "Baoshan County Records", armored horse paintings may have appeared earlier than the Tang Dynasty and may have existed since the Eastern Han Dynasty.

There are many interpretations of "Jia Ma". Originally, it was a war horse in armor. However, with the change of the times, Jia Ma has been integrated into various cultures and natural phenomena, including the twenty-eight constellations in ancient astronomy and the five elements theory in Taoist philosophy, forming a variety of Jia Ma patterns. Each pattern, whether it is for congratulations, blessings, home protection or warding off evil, contains vitality and mysterious stories.

Jiama banknotes are mostly used for fire sacrifices, that is, banknotes engraved with runes or spells are burned to worship the gods. In the folklore of the southwest, Jiama banknotes exist like works of art, with rough but vivid patterns printed on them, similar to New Year paintings.

Jiama has been preserved and passed down in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet and other places. In western Yunnan and its border areas, local people's activities from birth to death are related to Jiama. Almost every corresponding item in daily life has a Jiama counterpart, and there are strict and specific requirements for when and where to use a specific type of Jiama banknote.

Jiama has been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage project. Although it is just a sacrifice burned after the sacrificial activities, its rich symbolic patterns are valuable folk art materials. In addition to the images of major gods and ancestors, the prints also depict a variety of animals, plants, celestial bodies, landscapes and architectural structures from different eras, which are dazzling.

Although the armored horses were originally used for sacrificial offerings, as history has evolved, they have become purely decorative souvenirs for many people. If you travel to the southwest and don’t bring back some armored horse souvenirs, it’s like you haven’t been there.