An overview of the theme of Chinese folk paper-cutting in the Yellow River Basin
The Yellow River Basin is the birthplace of Chinese civilization. The origin of paper-cutting in the north is in the Longdong area in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. It was later spread eastward by immigrants and blended with the culture of the Luanhe River Basin to create it, and then spread to the Northeast. This process is called "the spread of Western paper to the east." Folk witchcraft to pray for blessings and ward off disasters is the main theme of folk paper-cutting in this area. People often feel the influence of fate. Even if they have a grasp of the farming season and the seasons, it does not mean that everything will go smoothly as planned. Hard work and kindness are not necessarily a guarantee of health. Natural and man-made disasters are a huge shadow hanging in peoples hearts. After all, As the main force in folk paper-cut creation in the north, farmers depend on the weather for their livelihood.
Northern Shaanxi is located at the junction of eastern and western China. It is a fusion area of ??grassland, desert and Huangshang Plateau. The special geographical location promotes cultural exchanges between the south and the north, and also promotes the integration of nomadic culture and farming culture. "Paper Man" describes northern Shaanxi like this: "Historically, this place was once the home of a glorious dynasty, and even now it is by no means the only dragon-shaped and tiger bones left. This long-term gathering of energy makes this relatively poor place Sacred messages are often conveyed in the land. The culture and art I want to talk about are the way and language of people here getting along with the heaven and earth. In fact, this way and language can not only save culture and art, why can't they save the other side of people? Half the body."
The transition of primitive human society from matrilineal clan society to patriarchal society is also the transition from animistic nature worship and totem worship to ancestor worship. The bun dolls on the Loess Plateau in the Yellow River Basin and the remains of primitive folk art featuring fish, snakes, frogs, turtles, fish-body human-faces, snake-body human-faces, and frog-body human-faces reflect the early activities in the loess in ancient historical legends. The Huangdi tribe on the plateau worships all-animal totems of fish, snakes, nuns, and turtles. Through the half-human and half-animal totems of "fish turns into human," "snake turns into human," "frog turns into human," and "dragon descends." God worship transitioned to the ancestor god worship of the fully human-shaped "scratching bun doll". This is similar to the original painted pottery and original rockThe worship of fish, frogs, snakes and the worship of the goddess of buns reflected in the painting are also consistent.
The prototype of the bun-grabbing doll is derived from the word "天" in Chinese inscriptions (i.e.: "天"). Mr. Guo Moruos research believes that this figure is a slight deformation of the Xuanyuan Huangdi tribe, the ancestor of the Chinese nation. For thousands of years, this figure has been used as a The patron saint of future generations of the Chinese nation and the god of fertility, guarding the Yellow River Basin. The original painted pottery basins unearthed in Xi'an Banpo with the "Pisces Human Face" and "Fish Net" symbols have been proven to be a group of worshiping the god of life, praying for eternal life and It is a witchcraft artifact for the reproduction of descendants. It is the prototype of the "Yin Yang Fish", "Pisces Doll", "Dragon Descendant" and "Two Dragons Playing with Pearls" that are still popular in northern folk paper-cut art: the painted pottery "Dancer" unearthed in Qinghai "Pattern" is a witchcraft artifact used to summon spirits and ward off evil spirits. It is the prototype of the "Wudao Doll", a hand-held doll that is still popular among the people as a means to summon spirits and ward off evil spirits.
The paper-cuts in Henan area with the theme of "gods of heaven and earth", "praying for rain" and "gods of grain" show that when ordinary people are unable to fight against natural disasters and man-made disasters, they depict the sacrificial scenes of primitive witchcraft and hope to rely on special rituals. and graphic symbols to pray for the help of supernatural powers, to drive away evil spirits and avoid harm, so as to seek peace in the family and a good harvest.
