The Year the Wood Came Alive

On a stormy night, the main printing block in an old New Year picture workshop is damaged by damp and splits. Lin Yan learns he must deliver one hundred and twenty hand-printed New Year pictures within seven days. Forced to stay, he starts relearning everything from inking and registering the blocks to carving them, enduring failures, recurring damp, and the temptation of digital reproduction. With the help of his grandfather Gu Shouyi, Su Qing, Chen Qi, and others, he recarves the main block and steadily produces qualified works. In the end, the pieces are exhibited at a cultural center, and Lin Yan understands that inheritance is not about locking away old objects, but about preserving the craft's roots so the next pair of hands can catch hold and carry it forward.