Introduction to Chinese folk paper-cutting
Chinese folk paper-cutting, as a traditional folk art form, has been circulating in China for thousands of years. The earliest paper-cut works were unearthed from the Northern Dynasties tombs in Astana, Turpan, Xinjiang. Its basic form is "Tuanhua" paper-cut, with patterns such as "Monkey", "Horse" and geometric patterns. In the Tang Dynasty, paper-cut was more widely used. applied to folk life. At the beginning of spring in the Tang Dynasty, women would cut out the word "spring" and hang it on trees to welcome the arrival of spring.
The development of the papermaking industry in the Song Dynasty provided good conditions for the popularization of paper-cutting. The types of paper-cutting tended to be diversified and the scope of application expanded. "Window grilles", "fireworks" and "lanterns" with strong decorative meanings appeared in the Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, paper-cutting was also combined with porcelain making technology. The Ming and Qing dynasties were the heyday of the development of paper-cutting. The application scope of paper-cutting further expanded, and the decorative function of paper-cutting became more prominent. Paper-cutting forms such as door pens, window grilles, wedding flowers, birthday flowers, and fireworks have been integrated into peoples daily lives and become traditional folk customs. Necessary cultural elements in life.
Themes of Chinese folk paper-cutting The themes of Chinese folk paper-cutting are very wide. Flowers, birds, lions, tigers, people, etc. can all be seen in paper-cutting. There is a profound cultural heritage behind these themes, and they are mostly presented in the form of "meaning" to express peoples psychology of praying for blessings. For example, peonies symbolize wealth, lotus symbolizes peace, chrysanthemums symbolize longevity, etc.
Types of Chinese folk paper-cutting From the perspective of production technology, Chinese paper-cutting can be divided into paper-cutting and carving paper. In terms of color, Chinese paper-cutting can be divided into monochrome paper-cutting and colored paper-cutting. Chinese people like to use red for monochrome paper-cutting. Because red represents good luck and auspiciousness.
The artistic style of Chinese folk paper-cutting. Chinese paper-cutting is widely distributed. From the perspective of artistic style, Chinese paper-cutting can be divided into northern paper-cutting and southern paper-cutting.
