New Year paintings provide vivid legal lessons

In Jiajiang county, Sichuan province, traditional New Year paintings have been helping to raise legal awareness. In the paintings, door gods, or menshen, hold China's Constitution, and children read the Civil Code.

New Year paintings, a unique form of Chinese folk art, hang on doors and walls to ward off evil and invite blessings. Jiajiang New Year paintings date back about 500 years and are recognized as China's national intangible cultural heritage.

"We show the public legal-themed New Year paintings and remind them to obey the law and seek legal help when problems arise," said Song Bo, Party secretary of the judicial bureau of Jiajiang county.

"This approach works better than just telling people what to do, as people are more willing to engage."

Folk artists draw on the concept of "honoring virtue and respecting the law" in Jiajiang New Year paintings, blending legal themes into their designs.

"For example, Shenshu and Yulyu are ancient door gods, said to catch evil spirits and tie them up with reeds to feed them to tigers. It seems to serve as a warning against bad deeds," said Zhang Rongqiang, a recognized inheritor of the Jiajiang New Year paintings.

"This ties in well with today's legal education. Everyone needs to follow the law," he added.