Door gods with the scene Five Boys Pass Imperial Civil Examinations

Door gods are one of the most ubiquitous of auspicious themes seen in popular prints created for the redecoration of houses as part of traditional New Year festivities. Prints of door gods come in pairs, to be pasted on the two doors of the main entrance of a traditional Chinese home. Such a public positioning is meant to keep out evil and atrract prosperity. The figures face each other in order to better observe everything that passes through the door.

The two most frequently seen door gods represent the generals Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, who are celebrated for having saved a Tang dynasty (618–906) emperor from the threat of demons. Each can be identified by his weapon: Yuchi Gong holds a steel whip and Qin Qiong grasps a sword.

The two generals Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong guard four boys clustered around their oldest brother, who rides the mythical beast known as the qilin. The five boys, educated by their strict father, Imperial Advisor Dou Yi (active 950–970), all passed the imperial civil examinations. The family has been regarded throughout Chinese history as the embodiment of an intellectual ideal. The motif here suggests many auspicious themes: wishes for many sons who all attain official posts and carry objects that convey wishes of luck, fortune, and happiness for the household.

Popular prints became an important part of folk tradition nearly a thousand years ago, and they remain so today. These prints are used for residential decoration and viewing pleasure, and can be purchased throughout the year. Varied in subject, color, and format, the prints are often glued on doors, windows, walls, pillars, furniture, and any place outdoors around the house. Celebratory themes and images pictured on the prints bear wishes for a happy New Year, a long life, health, fortune, continuation of the family line, and protections against evil-many of the prominent themes embedded in symbols on Chinese art.