Chinese folk prints of the propitiatory type are based on a visual language rooted in literate painting, calligraphy and the decorative arts. Prints that combine the powers of writing with images are generally carefully crafted: they use figurative writing, whether "character images" or "flower and bird characters". Dating back to at least the Song Dynasty (960-1279), this anonymous and ephemeral art, which continued until the first half of the 20th century and is enjoying a renaissance today, is produced from the north to the south of China as part of propitiatory and festive practices. This codified imagery, full of symbols and sometimes with the prestige of writing, is exhibited in domestic spaces to fulfil an essentially performative function. The wishes formulated as well as the parallel sentences (duilian) reveal a close correspondence between writing and image, with the former playing a dominant role: this hybridization, which seems self-evident to the Chinese eye, aims to guarantee happiness and success to the viewer/reader as efficiently as possible.