Tianjin’s Yangliuqing woodblock New Year prints, celebrated as a national intangible cultural heritage, remain a Spring Festival favourite. This Year of the Horse, inheritor Huo Qingyou presents a collection that artfully blends tradition with modern creativity.

The standout design merges a horse with the character for “fortune.” A red-maned horse appears to leap from the word, as if delivering good luck. The character itself retains a traditional look—black ink, a red outline, and a gold frame—preserving both the art form’s heritage and its symbolism of prosperity and nobility.

Master Huo’s team creates zodiac-themed prints annually and restores classics from historical sources. This year, they have also introduced cultural spin-offs such as night lamps inspired by the prints and have used AI in the design process for the first time. With tourism on the rise, sales of both prints and related products continue to grow, bringing this traditional craft back into the spotlight as a festive favourite.