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In 1931, while living in Beijing, China, Anne Swann Goodrich assembled a
substantial collection of folk prints of a type now commonly referred to as
"paper gods." After publishing a study about them in 1991, she donated the
collection of over 200 prints to the C. V. Starr East Asian Library. The
inexpensive prints were typically hung about the home or pasted on doors as
protection against evil. Frequently they were burned and replaced, generally at
the beginning of the new year or some other auspicious point of the calendar, as
a symbolic send-off to heaven to mediate on behalf of the owner. These paper god
prints are thin sheets of paper with the image of a god woodblock-printed on
them. Some are mostly black and white with just a few splashes of color. An
example of this can be seen here in a depiction of Sanjie Zhifu Shizhe, a
messenger of the gods. He delivered charms and acted himself as a charm against
evil spirits who cause disease, particularly during the fifth month. This period
was considered to be malignant by the Chinese as a time when contagious diseases
were likely to appear. Other prints are quite colorful, like the other example
here, which is a depiction of Zhong Kui, considered one of the most effective
protectors against evil spirits, expeller of demons, and protector against
poisons. Although his picture is usually pasted on the door on the last day of
the year, like Sanjie Zhifu Shizhe, he is particularly worshipped during the
fifth month.
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