Yang Naidong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Yang Naidong, Male, Han, from Weifang, Shandong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures (Ⅶ-5). The tradition is documented in Weifang, Shandong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures in Weifang, Shandong: After the second year of the Longqing reign of the Ming dynasty (1568), Yangjiabu New Year print artisans founded four print shops: "Hengshun", "Tongshuntang", "Wanzengcheng", and "Tianheyong". During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing dynasty, Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints began to flourish, reaching their peak in the Xianfeng reign. For a time the locality presented the splendid scene of more than a hundred print shops and a thousand print varieties, with talented print artisans emerging in large numbers; Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints were once sold throughout more than half of China. After 1949, Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints, which had fallen into decline because of the wars, sprang back to life like a withered tree in spring, renewing their vitality. In 1952, 7.8 million Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints were printed.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Yang Naidong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures in Weifang, Shandong. Within the documented technical tradition of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures in Weifang, Shandong: Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints are a form of folk printmaking transmitted in Yangjiabu, Weifang City, Shandong Province. The production method of Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints is simple and convenient, the craftsmanship exquisite, the colors bright, and the content rich. The subjects of the prints are renewed every Spring Festival; once new ideas and new things appear, they are quickly reflected in the prints, playing a role in promoting social progress. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The four earliest Yangjiabu print shops": After the second year of the Longqing reign in the Ming, Yangjiabu artists founded the four shops Hengshun, Tongshuntang, Wancengcheng and Tianheyong, turning the craft from a household sideline into a shop trade. "The Tongshunde shop": The shop where Yang Luoshu has worked since 1952, holding eight hundred sets of blocks, twenty specialist staff and an annual capacity of about a million sheets, its signature works being prints of the four great novels. "An eye at the blade's tip, feeling in the knuckles": Yang Luoshu's own carving maxim, meaning the blade must see as an eye does and the turning points be governed by subtle force in the knuckles; his carving is deft, the forms exaggerated and the images archaic. "The Yangjiabu New Year Print Research Institute": Founded in 1979 by the former Wei county government, the institute collects, orders and renews Yangjiabu prints, which also record the region's dwellings and everyday life.
The four earliest Yangjiabu print shops
After the second year of the Longqing reign in the Ming, Yangjiabu artists founded the four shops Hengshun, Tongshuntang, Wancengcheng and Tianheyong, turning the craft from a household sideline into a shop trade.
The Tongshunde shop
The shop where Yang Luoshu has worked since 1952, holding eight hundred sets of blocks, twenty specialist staff and an annual capacity of about a million sheets, its signature works being prints of the four great novels.
An eye at the blade's tip, feeling in the knuckles
Yang Luoshu's own carving maxim, meaning the blade must see as an eye does and the turning points be governed by subtle force in the knuckles; his carving is deft, the forms exaggerated and the images archaic.
The Yangjiabu New Year Print Research Institute
Founded in 1979 by the former Wei county government, the institute collects, orders and renews Yangjiabu prints, which also record the region's dwellings and everyday life.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Yang Naidong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures, with Weifang, Shandong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Yangjiabu Woodblock New Year Pictures in Weifang, Shandong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Weifang, Shandong as its declared area, and Weifang Hanting District Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
After the second year of the Longqing reign of the Ming dynasty (1568), Yangjiabu New Year print artisans founded four print shops: "Hengshun", "Tongshuntang", "Wanzengcheng", and "Tianheyong". During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing dynasty, Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints began to flourish, reaching their peak in the Xianfeng reign. For a time the locality presented the splendid scene of more than a hundred print shops and a thousand print varieties, with talented print artisans emerging in large numbers; Yangjiabu woodblock New Year prints were once sold throughout more than half of China.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yang Luoshu | Weifang, Shandong | 01-0053 | Same declared area |
| Yang Naidong | Weifang, Shandong | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。