When people heard of Jia Ma for the first time, most of them might not know what is it. Actually, Jia Ma is the name of a traditional woodcut and printmaking art of Bai people who mainly live in Dali. Let’s take a fuller look at Jia Ma together.

    Jia Ma was originally called paper horse, which was a handmade colored figure painting. At that time, most of the figures in the paintings were armored on horseback, hence the name of Jia Ma (literally means armored horse). In the Song dynasty, as woodblock printing become popular, Jia Ma developed into a multiple color overprint, which lasted for three dynasties from the Yuan dynasty to the Qing dynasty.

    Jia Ma has a very complicated production process. From selecting blocks, drawing, engraving to printing, we will follow the steps, to get into Jia Ma. As the first step, plate selection is crucial for engraving and preservation in Jia Ma’s future use.

    The Jia Ma printing block made of pear wood is the best in quality and appearance. It can not only be used and preserved for a long time but also make clear and smooth lines on papers when rubbing. 

    The next step is the creation and drawing of images. The images will be drawn on the normal paper first, and then paste the front of the images on the woodblock for carving. 

        For engraving the blocks, there are twenty to thirty kinds of tools will be used. Different craftsmen will choose to use different tools. In this step, once the strength is slightly inconsistent or the cut is inaccurate, a woodblock would be wasted. It is a true test for the craftsman’s skill.

        Nowadays, in the village of Dali, Jia Ma papers are still spotted everywhere-walls, doors, beams, stoves......Just like daily necessities, it still plays a very important role in Bai people’s life. There are several Jia Ma art classes opened within and without Dali as well. People who are interested in Jia Ma could learn to make Jia Ma by themselves. Hope one day more and more people could lead Jia Ma to the folk communities.

Photo Resource: Internet

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