To prepare for the arrival of the Chinese New Year, it is a tradition for every family to thoroughly clean their house to sweep away any ill fortune and make way for incoming good luck.
Decorating windows and doors with red papercutting, couplets and a large upside-down “福” (fú, good luck and blessing) is also a custom. Putting the character upside down relates to a Chinese wordplay. The words for “upside-down” (倒, dào) and “arrive” (到, dào) sound similar in Chinese. So the phrase 福倒了 (fú dào le, “good luck is upside-down”) sounds the same as 福到了 (fú dào le, “good luck is arriving”). Wishing for the arrival of good luck, putting up a “福” on one’s door has become a tradition for many Chinese families.
Traditionally, “福” is written on square red rice paper with a calligraphy brush. The character can be written in different styles. In this video you can see our calligraphy teacher, Zhang Chi, demonstrating how to write “福” in five different calligraphy styles. (From the right to the left: Seal Style, Clerical Style, Regular Style, Running Style and Cursive Style)