As early as the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the custom of carving door gods was popular in Guangzhou, Foshan and other places. In the early days, this door god was hand-painted directly on the door panel, and later it was carved on other boards to make woodcut New Year pictures, which were sold in the market for people to post.

Foshan woodblock New Year pictures were founded in Yongle period of Ming Dynasty. After the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty, they became a necessity for every household in the Pearl River Delta. They have a certain influence in Southeast Asia and Chinese settlements around the world. They are the representatives of the origin of New Year pictures in southern China, and they are named after being produced in Foshan, Guangdong.

During the reign of Qing Qianlong and Jiajing, the production of Foshan New Year pictures reached its peak. There are more than 200 shops and workshops with thousands of employees. In its heyday, the single door god produced more than 1 1 000 pairs a day, which was an important handicraft industry in Foshan.

After 1930s, the economy was gradually depressed.

After 1966, Foshan New Year pictures were dismissed as "feudal superstition" and stopped production.

Resume production after 1975, mainly for export.

Later, the custom of putting up door paintings by urban residents became less and less, while there was still the custom of putting up door paintings in rural areas of suburbs and counties.