Paper Horses

In 2020 a large album of "paper horses" - prayer prints of Chinese gods - appeared for sale. How had these fragile things, cheaply printed in the 1940s and meant to be ritually burned soon after purchase, survived for so long? In answering this mystery, David Leffman explores the techniques behind Chinese woodblock printing, which dates back to at least the Tang dynasty. All 93 "paper horses" are reproduced alongside biographies of the gods, providing an illustrated introduction to the fascinating world of Chinese folk religion.