A survey on paper-cutting in Yu County
In addition to personal research on Yu County paper-cutting, the state also attaches great importance to Yu County paper-cutting. So far, there have been three large-scale censuses on Yu County paper-cutting.
The first time was in 1979. At the beginning of the reform and opening up, Yuxian paper-cutting had already gained considerable popularity at home and abroad. In order to promote and protect the excellent national culture, the Yuxian government decided to hold the "Yuxian Folk Paper-cutting Exhibition" at the National Art Museum of China. In order to comprehensively introduce the development history of this national wonder to domestic and foreign audiences, with the care of the party and government at all levels, a census team composed of the Zhangjiakou Municipal Art Museum and the Yuxian Cultural Center conducted a survey of 28 villages in 8 townships. After a month-long census, Ye Yonghui and Tian Yongxiang wrote a 20,000-word article "The Origin of Paper-cutting in Yu County". It is clearly stated that Yuxian stippling paper-cutting was founded in the mid-Qing Dynasty; the historical evolution and inheritance of Yuxian paper-cutting are clearly listed; the cultural and historical roots of Yuxian stippling paper-cutting are expounded, and a large amount of physical information is obtained. "Thus, Yu Countys pointillism and paper-cutting art is presented to the world in a more scientific and comprehensive artistic form, providing a scientific basis for the research, protection and promotion of Yuxians pointillism and paper-cutting art."
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The second mass census took place in 1986. It was launched to coordinate with the three sets of comprehensive censuses on folk literature being carried out across the country. The focus of the census is to collect and organize legends and stories about paper-cutting and artists in Yu County. Over a year-long period, the census takers headed by Tian Yongxiang "followed the principles of scientificity, representativeness, and comprehensiveness, and went deep into 21 villages in 6 towns and villages, visited the elderly from house to house, and collected and compiled relevant information. 156 legends and stories about county paper-cutting and paper-cutting artists." From the perspectives of folklore and sociology, legends and stories reveal the difficulties of starting a paper-cut business in Yu County and the spirit of artists pursuing perfection. They are evidence of the profound foundation of paper-cut art in Yu County.
The third mass census was held from September 2003 to March 2004. In the folk cultural heritage rescue project carried out across the country, in August 2003, the Chinese Folk Literature and Artists Association and the National Folk Cultural Heritage Project Office held the "National Folk Cultural Heritage Project" in Yu County."Special Working Meeting on Paper-cutting for Cultural Heritage Rescue Project". The meeting awarded Yu County the title of "Hometown of Chinese Paper-cut Art" and listed it as "Chinese Paper-cut Art Research Base". The Yu County government organized a census team to conduct a census in 108 villages in 22 towns and towns in the county. A census was conducted. 567 ancient and rare artists were interviewed and 3,835 pieces of various materials were collected. The "Liangzi" that had been covered with window grilles before the founding of New China was found stored in the house of Li Dianshi in Lijiazhuang, filling the gap of missing masterpieces.
Compared with the first two general censuses, the third general census has three extremely valuable gains:
1. "The discovery of several generations of famous artists and their family histories that have been almost submerged by history has allowed artists in the initial stage of pointillist paper-cutting to form a group", re-revising and enriching the artists listed in the first census in 1979 ancestral lineage.
2. Find out the channels and areas where Yu County paper-cut sales were spread before 1949.
3. A batch of extremely valuable ancient paper-cutting and various paper-cutting tools were unearthed.
These are the first time to record and explain the origin, development, inheritance, innovation and evolution of Yu County paper-cutting in a relatively comprehensive, systematic, complete, scientific, original and visual manner, as well as the compilation of "Integration of Chinese Folk Paper-cutting·Wei" County Volume" provides a solid and rich foundation.
