Shaanxi folk paper-cutting has similar themes to Han portraits
The themes and content of the Han Dynasty stone portraits mainly include: social customs of the time such as riding and traveling, music and dance, banquets, etc. that reflect the experience and life of the tomb owner, as well as gods, auspiciousness, evil spirits, production labor, etc. that reflect the Han Dynasty. People’s ideas and myths and legends of humanistic culture. Shaanxi folk paper-cutting has very well inherited this feature of Han portraits. The exciting vitality that comes from the current real life, the originality that jumps out on the paper and bursts out. Most importantly, it is the "legacy of the two Han Dynasties" important performance.
A large number of paper-cut patterns such as Fuxi, Nushu, deer, sheep, toad spiders, and sunbirds appear in traditional Shaanxi paper-cutting. These images are all images with divine power. As images, they often have a symbolic nature and are already symbols of magical power. This kind of idol-like composition also exists in the Han Dynasty stone carvings. They are all symbols of the creator gods and auspicious meanings in Chinese mythology. The following two illustrations are the content graphics of Fuxi and Nujuan that appear together in Han Dynasty stone portraits and Shaanxi traditional folk paper-cutting. Although the two are different in shape, their meanings are the same.
Shaanxi traditional folk paper-cutting and Han Dynasty stone portraits are basically narrative-based in terms of content and subject matter, whether it is stories and legends, daily life, or scenes of coexistence of humans and animals. However, the times and content are different, but the structure and form are the same.
