A special art form of paper-cutting—menjian
Throughout the ages, the art of paper-cutting has a long history and is widely spread among the people. Regardless of the countrys north or south, as a kind of traditional folk art, it occupies an important position in folk activities. Its emergence and spread are closely related to rural seasonal customs. The types include window flowers, door flowers, wall flowers, ceiling flowers, lantern flowers, patterns, happy flowers, spring flowers, funeral flowers, etc.
The names of door notes vary from place to place. In Northeast China, they are called "Guaqian" and "Menqi"; in Shaanxi, they are called "Hanging Curtain"; in Shandong, they are called "Menhang" and "Luomenqian"; in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, they are called "Happy Money". "Red money", in ancient times it was also called "mencai" and "zhai ultimatum". The name "menjian" used today is the result of changing the word "qian" into the word "jian" after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. It has been widely used in books, newspapers and periodicals, and has become a common name, so other names are no longer used.
The door letter is shaped like a small flag, and the decoration is similar to a human victory. The custom of using flags to express peoples wishes was first recorded in the Han and Jin Dynasties. In the Southern Song Dynasty, people began to hang spring streamers on door lintels, some on family hall axes, heaven and earth stove kings and windows, and some on pig pens, horse sheds, well platforms or farm tools, etc. A kind of large hanging paper popular in the south is affixed to the second beam of the main room, so as the saying goes: "hang money, hang money, hang money everywhere", it often means to attract wealth and pray for prosperity. The more money posted, the more money will be available every year. It is mostly popular in Yantai, Shandong Province to post door-notes. Every Spring Festival, rural people hang them all over their doors, creating a joyful atmosphere.
Most of the door letters are chiselled by folk artists with a straight knife. (Refer to the forms and types of folk paper-cutting in Yimeng) Generally, the colored paper is cut, and about 100 sheets are stacked into a stack. A sample is placed on the surface, twisted with paper and nailed, placed on the wax board, and illuminated with a mallet and chisel. On the surface of the manuscript, patterns are made one by one. Chisel tools are specially made chisels with different straight and curved edges.Flat shovels, corner knives, semi-circular knives, water-marked knives, etc., each set has as few as four or five kinds, and as many as more than ten kinds. Folk artists use the leisure time to make door stamps and sell them as agricultural and sideline products at the twelfth lunar month market. Due to the high demand, professional villages and households that made door letters appeared in various places. At that time, the income of a household making door letters in one winter could reach hundreds or even thousands of yuan.
Most door banners are rectangular, generally 15 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters long. They are composed of a central chest, left and right borders and drooping tassels, resembling a hollow pennant. The decorations on the chest are mostly regular geometric shapes and patterns with auspicious content. Some are based on fish, insects, birds, animals, flowers, fruits and vegetables, such as deer, double fish, phoenix-pierced peony, plum bird, lotus fish, vase flowers, etc.; some paper-cut patterns are complete with auspicious words, such as celebrating the New Year, peace and prosperity in all seasons, and abundant auspiciousness. Fortune, wealth, longevity, joy, etc. Or one sentence for each sheet, or one word for each sheet, hanging stickers in sets. In most areas, it is customary to have five sheets per door in a row, and in some areas there are two to three layers per door. Because the door letter is hung under the lintel, it must withstand the spring and be suitable for viewing from a distance, so the decorative patterns are relatively simple and rough.
The colors of the door paper are flashy and not extravagant, and they can be roughly divided into four configuration methods: the first is a single-color door paper, most of which use red door paper arranged in one color; the second is a five-color paper door paper, which is the most popular. There are five sheets in each set, each made of red, green, yellow, pink, blue and other colored papers; the third type is dyed door paper, which is popular in Boxing, Huantai and other places in Shandong. First, the pattern and text of the door note are cut out of the raw edge paper, and then dotted with red, green, yellow, pink, blue and other water colors to create a colorful and very gorgeous color. The fourth type is the colored door note, and some add gold foil to the five-color paper door note. The writing is sometimes made by stacking up five-color wax paper, cutting out the pattern, and then digging it out and folding it, and then reassembling the door paper with multi-color patterns, and pasting small strips of paper on the back to connect and fix it. This is called "cutting and repairing" locally. "Door Paper" is popular in Jiangsu and Tancheng, Shandong Province. It is more gorgeous and bright than the five-color paper door paper.
