Problems faced by the development of folk paper-cutting in Yueqing
First, support measures are not in place and artists are not very motivated.
After the work of protecting intangible cultural heritage was carried out, the government has greatly strengthened the protection of traditional arts, and societys attention to traditional skills has also increased. Many local agencies have established intangible cultural heritage offices, but due to limitations in manpower, material resources, and financial resources, they cannot pay attention to and help all folk artists. As state-certified inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, although Lin Bangdong and Chen Yuhua have received honorary titles and certain financial support from various countries, they are rarely known in the countryside where they live. During the visit, the author found that most of the local people were at a loss when it came to fine-grained paper engraving. Because many paper engraving manufacturers have their studios at home, mostly in remote villages, they are even less known. In addition, some artists also mentioned that there are problems such as insufficient funds being paid to inheritors. Wenzhou is a relatively economically developed area. Many rural areas are undergoing urbanization construction. Many farmers are getting rich through doing business. This is a problem for people who only rely on carving. For artists who can only support their families, this creates a certain amount of pressure. As folk artists, the honors they receive are only in the cultural and art circles but not among the people. This leads to an obvious duality in the artists' attitude towards traditional skills. The recognition of the country allows them to find some kind of spiritual support, but the indifference of the people often makes them feel discouraged. This makes them lack creative enthusiasm and even become complacent. Although paper engraving artists also want to showcase Yueqings fine-grained paper engraving through various exhibitions and cultural activities, they are deterred by the cost of exhibitions. As for some new paper-carving folk artists who rely on self-taught, they often encounter neglect and rejection. When evaluating titles and awards, the government focuses on building the image of inheritors, and it also forms a one-sided trend in terms of government funding and help. This situation greatly dampened the enthusiasm of other fine-grained paper carving artists in Yueqing.
Second, there is a lack of design talents and the products look outdated.
In the early development period of Yueqing fine-grained paper-cutting, due to the participation of professional designers and folk art masters, many masterpieces with exquisite compositions were developed. Decades have passed, although these works are regarded as classicsIt has been widely praised, but paper engraving artists keep repeating things from the past, making Yueqings fine-grained paper products look outdated. Many paper engraving artists have also reported that due to the lack of professional design talents, their works have encountered great bottlenecks in innovation. Although some newly developed patterns have won awards in various paper-cutting or handicraft competitions, they are not ideal in the sales process. Due to the small scale, paper carving artists are worried that the designed patterns will not be popular and waste time and energy, so paper carving creation is increasingly ignored. A small number of paper-cutting artists have produced some paper-cutting works by "learning" other paper-cutting works, or based on other paintings. However, there is a lack of professional designers, especially designers with modern design concepts, which makes fine-grained paper-cutting. The products are single and outdated, especially the engraving works with modern themes and the taste of modern life are less common, which limits the consumer group of fine-grained engraving paper.
Thirdly, the study time is too long, and there are gaps in the inheritance of paper engraving.
Most of the paper carving artists in Yueqing have a craft inherited from their families. They have been exposed to it since childhood and have been passed down from generation to generation. But for ordinary people, fine-grain paper engraving is a craft that is easy to learn but difficult to master. According to veteran artists, beginners with good qualifications can carve finer patterns within a year, but if they want to carve quickly and well, it will take at least three to five years of practice, and to truly reach the level of proficiency , usually takes ten years. Judging from the age structure and inheritance relationship of paper engraving inheritance, artists aged around 40-50 years old are in the middle of the inheritance chain. This group of people are relatively conservative in terms of concepts, agree more with traditional life customs, and can skillfully Master various skills and techniques; their ancestors are around 65-70 years old, at the upper end of the inheritance chain. These people are either old and frail, or have died one after another. There are only a few of them, and some unique skills will also go with them. Young people around 20 years old who are at the lower end of the inheritance chain are the link between the past and the future and are a key link in the inheritance chain. Once this link is broken, there will be no next link and the chain of inheritance will not continue. Although some paper engraving enthusiasts and school teachers in society also learn paper engraving out of interest, they are not professional in paper engraving and cannot become true heirs of fine-grained paper engraving. But among the young people who come to study art, very few can persist in studying for three to five years. Many lack determination and perseverance and give up halfway because they cannot persist. Since the state currently does not provide any subsidies or incentives for apprentices who want to inherit traditional crafts, and the economic benefits of fine-grained paper engraving are not high, many young artists are "apprentices" with meager wages and lack the motivation to persist for a long time. Staff turnover is serious.
Fourth, there is a lack of professional management and sales talents.
There are many artists engaged in fine-grained paper engraving, but at present, most Yueqing fine-grained paper engraving operations are small businesses that sit in their own homes and wait for customers to come to their doors. They lack the ability to integrate industrial capital, financial capital, and paper-cutting folk customs. Resourcesentrepreneur. On the other hand, in the development of traditional folk art, competition among peers and sects have restricted the exchange and development of folk art. Many inheritors claim that their works are authentic, have no contact with each other, and are relatively indifferent to the integration of the entire paper engraving industry. Due to backward business methods and poor sales channels, Yueqing fine-grained paper has not been known to the public for a long time. It is out of touch with the modern cultural product market and has no room for long-term development.
Fifth, paper carving artists have a weak awareness of property rights and lack legal protection.
In the paper-cutting industry, copying and imitation are regarded as normal phenomena. Once the paper-cut patterns designed by many artists are published in newspapers and periodicals, they are soon "produced" by other artists. Although they care, they all Give up because it takes a lot of effort to recover the "copyright". Many artists have a weak awareness of property rights and believe that it is normal or even necessary to "learn" from each other. The practical experience of other countries has shown that to effectively protect intangible cultural heritage and realize the inheritance and development of excellent traditional culture, a series of effective policies and laws must be formulated. Among them, the protection of intellectual property rights is particularly important. It can effectively protect the fruits of artists' labor and promote healthy and fair competition. At this point, the country and the government still have a lot of work to do.
