Chunlian

Chunlian (Spring couplets)

Chunlian (春聯) is a couplet or duilian, of typically seven characters per line. The two lines of poetry are hung on either side of the door frame. The content of chunlian is related to the Chinese New Year and the lexical and tonal rules of classical Chinese poetry are followed, though not strictly. Sometimes, concurrently with the chunlian, a horizontal scroll with four to five characters is hung on the crosspiece of the door. Its content expresses the wishes of the homeowner for the upcoming year. Besides being hung on door frames, chunlian are also used on the banners that are unfurled at the end of a dragon dance.