Paper-cutting artist Gao Dianliang and Yuxian Dankun Liangxing Paper-cutting Factory
Since the creation of Yuxian paper-cutting, paper-cutting artists have been selling it on the streets or at fairs. Women in the village bought it as patterns for embroidering purses, pillows, straw paper bags and other embroidery products. , or posted on the windows at home to beautify the room, with inherent commodity attributes, paper-cutting artists also regard paper-cutting skills as a survival skill, "Craftsmen will get more recognition in the countryside, because they are more simple than others. People who work in agriculture have more survival resources and abilities.” People in the village saw that the small business of paper-cutting artists could improve their lives and began to learn paper-cutting. Because of the tangible benefits it brought, paper-cutting skills were valued, spread, inherited, and developed. Relying on its superior natural geographical location, Yu County has been a transportation hub and trade artery between the Central Plains and northern Saibei, Shanxi and Yanzhao since ancient times. It is known as the "Tea Horse Hu City" in the north. The prosperous business has expanded the paper-cutting industry in Yu County. Expansion capacity.
In the memory of Gao Dianliang, the representative inheritor of intangible cultural heritage in Hebei Province, “paper-cutting was for survival” at first. Picking up a carving knife to make paper-cuts, and then selling them in person in various villages, you could earn one to two hundred yuan a year. At that time, the monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan, which was quite good. After the reform and opening up, peoples living standards have improved, and Yu Countys paper-cutting skills are no longer just a survival skill. It has become a way for some people in the county to start a business and get rich. Gao Dianliang also built a paper-cutting workshop in his yard, and his family made paper-cutting together.
In 1984, Gao Dianliang and his brother founded the Yuxian Danhou Liangxing Paper-cutting Factory and began specialized production. In the spring of 1988, through his door-to-door sales, Yuxian paper-cuts were put on the counters of Beijing tourist souvenirs and arts and crafts stores, and also received unexpected results. After converting paper-cutting into handicrafts, the market space for paper-cutting has become broader. With a certain economic foundation as support, Yuxian paper-cutting artists have accumulated funds to improve their skills and carry out product innovation. After carefully observing the market and understanding peoples needs, they pondered the content, form and price positioning of the new paper-cutting category. Launch new products, win competition, gainAlong with greater profits, the skill of paper-cutting has also been further inherited and revitalized.
