New Year's Day. The Chinese, following an old and respectable tradition invented by a confectioner, never fail to begin the year by offering to all their acquaintances chestnuts and other small presents. They kiss each other with pursed lips, but would rather tear each other apart. On this memorable day in Beijing alone 300'000 kilos of sweets and 200'000 kilos of gingerbread will be devoured. No wonder that on January 2nd all the little Chinese have a colic. But who cares.... next year they'll be again filled up with the same colic enhancing stuff always under the pretext of "traditional duty", plate 25 from Voyage En Chine 1845

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph called 'New Year's Day' as plate 25 from Voyage En Chine. The print offers a satirical view of Chinese New Year traditions, filtered through a lens of 19th-century European orientalism. Daumier exaggerates facial features and gestures, reinforcing stereotypes of Chinese culture. He presents an image of forced tradition and underlying tension, commenting on the commercial aspects of cultural practices. The caption states, "They kiss each other with pursed lips, but would rather tear each other apart," revealing an assumed sense of cultural inauthenticity. The print reflects the complex interplay between cultural exchange and colonial perspectives. It prompts us to consider how identity is constructed through representation, and to reflect on the emotional realities of cultural performance when mixed with the outside gaze. How does Daumier’s image shape our understanding of cultural exchange and authenticity?