As millions celebrate Lunar New Year across the Chinese mainland this week, vibrant door god paintings are appearing on homes like protective emojis come to life 🎭. But what’s behind this 2,000-year-old tradition keeping evil spirits at bay?
We visited Tsinghua University Art Museum’s ‘Spring Across Heaven and Earth, Blessings within Homes’ exhibition – where ancient door god artworks tell a story older than TikTok trends. Curators reveal these fierce-looking deities originated during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), with popular pairs including:
🪓Shen Shu & Yu Lei – mythical demonslayers from peach wood charms
‘It’s like having superhero stickers for your front door,’ explains art history student Lin Wei, 22. ‘Families renew them annually as symbols of safety and renewal – the original home security system!’ 🔒
The tradition evolved through dynasties, with Ming-era (1368-1644) prints showing door gods holding gold ingots 🪙 – a precursor to modern prosperity themes. Today’s digital-native youth are putting fresh spins on the custom through AR filters and NFT art while preserving its cultural core.
📅 The exhibition runs through March 1, 2026 – perfect timing for post-festival cultural deep dives!
