
Enjoying the reputation of being the manufacturing center for paper and Chinese ink, Huizhou boasted many adept painters and engravers. The most famous engravers in Huizhou were the Huang Clan from Yachuan Village. Willing to learn from each other and striving for the best, they eventually rose to the leading position in the Chinese prints industry. Many evidences prove that Huizhou-style Print was a great success with various kinds of schools.
With hair-like thin and soft lines and finely carved surroundings like hills, stones, bricks, and windows, Zhuangyuantukao (Number one scholars) and Guifan (Guidelines for maidens) done by people from the Huang clan in Yachuan Village well demonstrate the adeptness of the engravers. Their works are not only finely engraved and painted, but also could serve as a mirror reflecting the development of the society at that time.
Ilustrations by Huang Tingke£¨1582£©
For instance, four Christian prints sent to Cheng Junfang by Matteo RICCI, an Italian missionary in China, were copied in Chengximoquan, a piece of representative works by the Huang clan. This demonstrates that block-print once served as a bridge to enhance the art communication between China and the Western countries.
Not confining themselves to their hometown, craftsmen in Huizhou widely spread to other regions, such as Hangzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, and Nanjing. They naturally brought the styles of Huizhou Print with them to wherever they arrived.

Cheng's Moyuan
Thanks to the convenient waterway traffic from Huizhou to Hangzhou, many engravers in Huizhou came to Hangzhou for a living. Thus Hangzhou became the second hometown of Huizhou-style Print. The Huang clan in Yachuan Village greatly contributed the booming of Huizhou-style Print in Hangzhou. As a result, the art of Chinese print took on a new look due to the joint efforts of skilled engravers from Huizou and local painters in Hangzhou.
To make a living, the engravers from Huizhou moved a lot from one place to another. Some engravers stayed in Hangzhou for a couple of years and then moved to Suzhou. By the end of the Ming Dynasty and at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), block printing in Suzhou experienced its heyday period. The famous "San Yan" and "Liang Pai" (Chinese classics) were originally engraved in Suzhou.
Chinese print in the Qing Dynasty seemed dwarfed compared with its spectacular growth in the Ming Dynasty. However, the burgeoning New Year painting with woodblock printing helped to usher in a new era for Chinese print.
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