A preliminary study on the origin of folk paper-cutting

A preliminary study on the origin of folk paper-cutting

Paper-cutting is the most well-known handicraft activity among the Chinese nations handicraft creations. According to historical records, there is already a description of paper-cutting in "Historical Records" written by Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty, and what it expresses The paper-cutting activity was created by the working people to meet their own spiritual needs during their long-term production labor. And because paper-cutting has a broad mass base, it quickly spread among the people. With the passage of time and changes in history, paper-cutting itself has been continuously accumulated and developed through the summary and practice of working people.

Tang Dynasty gilt and chiselled silver scissors

Contrary to traditional understanding, paper-cutting actually existed before the invention of paper. Since scissors are most commonly used for paper-cutting, the study of the historical origin of paper-cutting in my country is more conducive to tracing the origin of paper-cutting. In 1972, a pair of burial iron scissors were unearthed from a Tang tomb in Changping County, Beijing. They were in the shape of an "8" cross. In 1953, iron scissors with two separate strands and a shaft in the middle were unearthed in Changsha, Hunan. This was a product of the Five Dynasties period and is the same as the current scissors. This shows that before the invention of paper, there were already tools for cutting.

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But paper-cutting in the true sense still came after the invention of paper. As we all know, papermaking in the strict sense was invented by Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His papermaking technology had a profound impact on future generations of papermaking. As the hometown of paper, China already has the foundation of cutting tools. With the accumulation of culture and the advancement of civilization, China has naturally become the birthplace of paper-cutting. In 1957, ancient paper from the second century BC (early Western Han Dynasty) was unearthed in Baqiao in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an City. It is the most primitive paper known in the world. So far. The art of paper-cutting, which uses paper to facilitate cutting and carving, meets the needs of folk customs, and subsequently emerged among the people.