The Chinese woodcut printing tradition dates back more than a millennium. The oldest woodcarving with a precise date is an illustration from the year 868 that was found in a Buddhist text uncovered in Dunhuang, in the northwestern Gansu province.
lørdag 6. september 2025
Wartime Woodcuts: The Art That Helped China Fight Japan
When the carving knife hit pinewood and art collided with the chaos of war, a new weapon emerged in China. Woodcut printing — a traditional handicraft once used for images that captured the sanctity of Buddhist scriptures and expressed the elegance of literature — assumed a new mission during WWII. It became a potent battle cry to rouse the people and ignite the flames of resistance.
The Chinese woodcut printing tradition dates back more than a millennium. The oldest woodcarving with a precise date is an illustration from the year 868 that was found in a Buddhist text uncovered in Dunhuang, in the northwestern Gansu province.
The Chinese woodcut printing tradition dates back more than a millennium. The oldest woodcarving with a precise date is an illustration from the year 868 that was found in a Buddhist text uncovered in Dunhuang, in the northwestern Gansu province.
