Some farmers explained to us the custom of hanging writings on the walls.Before the spring festival， families all decorate their doors with New Year couplets： lines written on strips of on red paper expressing good wishes that they stick on the doorposts： "May Heaven， Earth and Man's goodwill favour us"；"Snow presages a good harvest"； "With each year that passes， human life grows，spring fills the world and happiness fills the home".Seeking prosperity for the year ahead， they even put up couplets in their barns， stables and farmyards："A grain sown in spring brings a ton harvested in autumn"； "Oxen are more powerful than the tigers of the southern mountains and horses are stronger than the dragons of the northern seas.
Legend traces the origins of the spring couplets back to a colossal peach tree over a thousand kilometres tall.The northern branches were a little shorter than the others and formed a door， defended by two burly guards who were sent for this mission by the Jade Emperor.If a demon should pass by， the guards would catch him and tie him up with ropes to feed him to the tigers， and thus protect the peacefullife of the people.As a result， people took to making figures from the leaves of the peach tree of both of the guardians and would draw a tiger on the door to scare away demons.As it was difficult to get peach leaves in winter， they started to use a board made from peach wood on either side of the door and would carve the image of the guards on these.Later， the procedure was simplified further by writing just the names on the boards and some auspicious phrases.And so the custom began.
