Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year by young Chinese artist Xianglin Liu celebrates the role of food in bringing families and communities together, drawing on the food heritage, traditions and memories associated with one of China's most important annual celebrations.

Liu graduated from the School of Fine Arts at Qufu Normal University, where she developed her practice in gongbi, a meticulous brush-painting technique, and mogu, a traditional Chinese painting technique characterized by the use of colour without outlines. She also practices Chinese calligraphy. She is an artist at Seeing the Mountain Art Gallery in Rizhao, China. Her work has received recognition through student art exhibitions, including the 2024 “Towards the Sun, Meeting You” Art and Design exhibition.

The nine-panel artwork brings together familiar foods associated with Chinese New Year, including cured pork, flower-shaped steamed buns, candied hawthorn, fresh fruit, dumplings, nuts, flower cakes, glutinous rice balls and New Year's Eve dinner. Together, the images evoke the warmth of the family table and the anticipation of returning home for the holiday.

For Liu, these foods are closely connected to childhood memories and family reunions. As she grew older, she found herself becoming one of the adults responsible for creating the festive atmosphere she remembered from childhood. This experience inspired her to capture the foods and flavours that represent the warmth of home and the shared experience of celebration, showing how food heritage is carried forward from one generation to the next.

Beyond their cultural significance, the foods depicted in the artwork reflect a deeper connection between food, land and human labour. Through these everyday dishes, Liu highlights the value of food and the people behind it, while expressing hope for abundant harvests, nourishing tables and well-being for generations to come.