Paper-cutting is one of the most popular folk arts in China. According to archeology, its history can be traced back to the sixth century AD, but it is believed that it actually started hundreds of years earlier than that. Paper-cutting is often used in religious ceremonies, decoration and plastic arts.
In the past, people often used paper to make various shapes of objects and figures, and buried them with the deceased or burned them at funerals. This custom can still be seen sometimes outside China. The art of paper-cutting generally has a symbolic meaning and is part of this ritual; in addition, paper-cutting is also used as a decoration for offerings to ancestors and gods.
It is generally popular probably because of its easily available materials, low cost, immediate effect, and wide adaptability; and because it is most suitable for rural women to make in their spare time, and can be used as a practical object and beautify their lives. Paper-cutting can be seen all over the country, and even different local styles have been formed. Paper-cutting not only expresses the aesthetic preferences of the masses, but also contains the deep social psychology of the nation. It is also one of the most distinctive folk arts in China, and its modeling characteristics are particularly worthy of study.
Nowadays, paper cutting is used more for decoration. Paper-cutting can be used to decorate walls, doors, windows, pillars, mirrors, lamps and lanterns, etc. It can also be used as decoration for gifts. Even the paper-cutting itself can be given as a gift to others. People used to use paper cuttings as models for embroidery and spray painting art.
Paper cutting is not made by machine but by hand. There are two commonly used methods: scissors and knife. As the name suggests, scissor cutting uses scissors. After cutting, several (usually no more than 8) paper cuts are pasted together, and finally sharp scissors are used to process the pattern. For knife and scissors, the paper is first folded into several folds, placed on a soft mixture of ash and animal fat, and then slowly scored with a knife. Paper-cutting artists usually hold the knife vertically and process the paper into the desired pattern according to a certain model. Compared with scissors, one advantage of knives and scissors is that they can be processed into multiple paper-cut patterns at one time.
In rural areas, paper-cutting is usually done by women and girls. In the past, this was a handicraft art that every girl must master, and it was also used as a standard for judging brides. Professional paper-cutting artists are often men, because only men can work together in the workshop and earn wages.
History
According to research, since the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC), some people have used gold and silver foil, leather or silk fabrics to make hollow and carved decorations. During the excavation of the Warring States ruins in Guwei Village, Huixian County, Henan Province from 1950 to 1952, arc-shaped decorations hollowed out and carved with silver foil were discovered. Although these decorations hollowed out with silver foil cannot be said to be paper-cutting, in terms of carving technology and artistic style, they can be said to have formed the predecessor of paper-cutting art.
During the Western Han Dynasty, people used hemp fiber to make paper. It is said that after the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, his favorite concubine Li, the emperor missed her so much that he could not sleep well and could not eat well, so he asked a magician to cut out the image of Concubine Li with hemp paper. To evoke its spirit, this is probably the earliest paper-cutting. In 105 AD, Cai Lun improved and promoted the experience of his predecessors and began to make large amounts of paper. This form of carving found a more popular material and gave birth to the art of paper-cutting, which has a history of more than 2,000 years. Use paper to cut beautiful patterns. The earliest and well-documented discovery was near the Flame Mountain in Turpan, Xinjiang. Five paper-cuts of Tuanhua in the Northern and Southern Dynasties were unearthed: Duanhua Tuanhua; Duanhua Tuanhua; Duanhua Tuanhua; Honeysuckle Tuanhua; Chrysanthemum. Tuan Hua; eight-purpose shaped Tuanhua.
In the Tang Dynasty, paper-cut patterns were applied to other crafts. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, a gold and silver inlay technology appeared, which involves pasting engraved gold and silver foils on the back of lacquerware or bronze mirrors, filling them with lacquer and polishing them dry, to reveal a brilliant golden pattern on the lacquer floor.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, the custom of "engraving gold for success" was popular. "Sheng" is a pattern cut and carved from paper, gold and silver foil, or silk. Those cut into square geometric shapes are called "Fang Sheng"; those cut into flowers and grass shapes are called "Huasheng". Those in human form are called "human beings".
Liang Zongmao of the Southern Dynasty recorded in "Jingchu Suishui Ji": "The seventh day of the first lunar month is the Human Day. ("Dongfang Shuo Zhuan·Sui Festival": When the world first opens, the first day is chicken, the second day is dog, the third day is pig, the fourth day is sheep, and the fifth day is the day of the human being. The sun on the ox, the horse on the 6th, the people on the 7th, and the grain on the 8th. If the sun is sunny, the things it controls will be prosperous, and if it is cloudy, the people will be the most important. Plant vegetables to make soup; cut ribbons to make people, or carve gold foil to make people, and put them on screens, or wear them on the temples; and make beautiful flowers to give them to each other."
Du Fu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote "Human Day" as a poem. He wrote a poem with the title: "On this day and at this time, people are in love, chatting, laughing and looking at each other. The cypress leaves in front of you are resting with the wine, and the golden flowers are clever and cold-resistant." Another famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shangyin, also wrote " The poem "Ren Ri", the poem says: "The engraved gold work spreads the customs of Jing Dynasty, and the ribbon-cutting brings the style of Jin to people." Among the cultural relics unearthed in Xinjiang in the 1960s, there is also a paper-cut of Ren Sheng from the Tang Dynasty, with seven female figures arranged in a row. This sheng is used to decorate the bun.
There are many records about paper-cutting in the Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there were artists who specialized in paper-cutting. Some were good at cutting "all kinds of calligraphy", and some were specialized in cutting "all kinds of colors and patterns". Some use paper cuttings as decorations for gifts, some stick them on windows, some decorate them with lights, and some cut them into so-called "dragons and tigers". At this time, shadow puppets were popular. In addition to animal skins, the materials for carving shadow puppets were also made of thick paper. Zhou Mi's "Zhiyatang Miscellaneous Notes" records: At that time, in Peiliang, the capital, "towards the old Tiandu Street, there were people who cut various patterns of colors, which were extremely exquisite and could be made as desired. There were also people who were more respectful in the middle of the tiles, and each time they cut the calligraphy of each family, they were specialized . Later, a young man suddenly became more adept at cutting words and flowers on his sleeves, so he became known as "Kaifeng". Naturally, "cutting patterns" refers to "paper-cutting". .
Li Qingzhao, a female poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote in a poem "Bodhisattva Man": "The phoenix hairpin at the bottom of the candle is bright, and the person with the hairpin head is lighter." There is a kind of bird with a large golden feather crest on its head. It is very similar to the bird with a flag stuck in it, so it is named the hoopoe. In Wei Yingwu's "Listening to the Song of Orioles", "The shrike flies past with a cramped sound, and the mulberry fields are green when the hoopoe falls." Sheng has become a symbol of the return of spring to the earth.
An important creation of paper-cutting used for craft decoration in the Song Dynasty was the porcelain of Jizhou kiln. The products include tea cups and vases, etc., with many patterns and themes, including phoenix, plum blossom, loquat and auspicious characters, etc., with vivid and lively shapes. , it is made by the author during the glazing process, pasting paper cuts and firing them in the kiln.
Modern folk blue printed cloth is made by scraping the paper with engraved paper and then imitating the dyeing to show the pattern. This kind of printing and dyeing technology was very common in the Song Dynasty, and the printed cloth of the Southern Song Dynasty unearthed in Shanxi Province is an example.
The notes and local chronicles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties also recorded the famous paper-cutting masters. Calyx, a gauze lantern made in Jiajing, carved with paper into the shape of flowers, bamboo and birds, with light and dark colors. Dissolve wax, apply dye, and clamp it with light silk. It is bright and clear when reflecting the sun, and the flowers are flying and dancing, and they are lost in the light smoke, and it is indistinguishable from the real thing. "The gauze lantern of the Ming Dynasty is very famous. It uses paper-cuts sandwiched in gauze. The pattern is reflected by candlelight. This is another application of paper-cuts in daily life. Now people call it "revolving lantern".
"Jiande County Chronicle of Yanzhou" records: "Lin Wenyao, whose courtesy name was Gangzhai, was a calligrapher when he was young. He became blind in middle age. He cut paper to make characters. His movements were like dragons and snakes, and his stippling was accurate. The people in the room decorated the room like a scroll,... People called the day "Lin Jian." "Baoding Prefecture Chronicle" records: "The famous woman is the daughter of Zhang Caigong. She has clever ideas, talks with people, and cuts spring flowers, autumn chrysanthemums, and fine flowers in her sleeves." The grass weeps and the poplars are indescribable; the cuttings and incense are so ingenious that those who get them will treasure them.
Chen Yunbo of the Qing Dynasty said in his "Hua Lin Xi Yong": "There were people who cut paintings in the Southern Song Dynasty. Being able to cut words on the sleeves is no different from the famous names of the ancients. In recent years, Bao Jun from Yangzhou has done the best work on this, especially the landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, grass and insects, all of which are exquisite. "There is also a poem that says: "Cutting pictures is smarter than cutting books, flying flowers and birds swimming near fish; no matter how good the spring breeze is in February, cutting out weeping poplars may not be as good. "During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zou Yuandou, a court painter, painted a custom painting "Sui Dynasty Picture Scroll" blessing the beginning of the new year. The upper end of the painting was painted with five colorful paper-cut "mencages" hanging. The form of the door note is derived from the Spring Festival. The flag evolved.
In the Qing Dynasty, because the Manchu people had the custom of paper-cutting, paper-cutting entered the palace. In the Forbidden City, Shenning Palace, where emperors of all dynasties held weddings, used paper as their bridal chamber. The walls were papered according to Manchu customs, with black paper-cut corner flowers with the word Double Happiness pasted on the four corners, and black paper-cut flowers with dragons and phoenixes in the center of the ceiling; on the aisle walls on both sides of the palace Also attached are horn flowers. It is said that someone cut a "Liuhe Spring" pattern with deer, crane and pine out of paper, painted it and pasted it on the court clothes. Even the Queen Mother of the West thought it was embroidered.
Nowadays, the world of paper-cutting is even broader. It has already walked out of the small courtyards of farmers and entered the vast world of modern design. It is used in product packaging design, trademark advertising, interior decoration, clothing design, etc. Her influence can be seen in book binding, stamp design, newspaper and magazine inscriptions, comics, stage art, animation, film and television, etc. She has also gone global and become famous all over the world, becoming a cultural wealth and artistic treasure for all mankind. With the course of history, many ethnic and traditional things have been gradually diluted and obliterated. However, the sign of true civilization should be the coexistence and simultaneous development of traditional culture and modern culture. May this ancient tree of art remain evergreen.
How to express paper-cutting
There are many ways to express paper-cutting. Here we focus on two types: monochrome and color. Monochrome paper-cutting is divided into:
1. Yang-engraved paper-cutting is usually a monochromatic paper-cut work cut out of red paper, black paper or other colored materials. The characteristic of positive paper-cutting is to retain the outline of the original and cut off the blank part outside the outline. Every line of it is connected to each other, and one move will move the whole body.
2. The characteristics of negative-engraved paper-cutting are exactly the opposite of positive-engraved paper-cutting, which is to carve out the outline of the original and retain the parts beyond the outline. Therefore, the characteristic of incised paper-cutting is that its lines are not necessarily interconnected, and the whole work is block-shaped.
Schools of paper-cutting
Yuxian paper-cutting, Fengning Manchu Paper-cutting, Zhongyang paper-cutting, Yiwulushan Manchu paper-cutting, Yangzhou paper-cutting, Yueqing fine-grained paper-cutting, Guangdong paper-cutting, Dai paper-cutting, Ansai paper-cutting, magnetic paper-cutting