The history and development of Shaanxi folk paper-cutting in various dynasties
Shaanxi is located in the Yellow River Basin. Here we have the tomb of our ancestor Xuanyuan Huangdi, the sites of Yangshao, Longshan culture and Shang and Zhou culture, as well as many tombs of the Han Dynasty. The Great Wall and the ancient Silk Road, both famous at home and abroad, passed here, and cultures of different historical periods flourished here. The painted pottery from the Neolithic Age, the portrait stones from the Han Dynasty, and the sculptures and paintings from the Tang and Song Dynasties all directly influenced the development of northern Shaanxi. Folk art has had a great impact. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, due to natural and man-made disasters and traffic congestion, the economy and culture of northern Shaanxi were isolated from the mainland, and the influence of foreign economies and culture on this area was shrinking. The ancient customs and folk arts in northern Shaanxi have been uniquely and completely preserved in this special geographical and cultural environment. The following is a brief introduction to the development history of Shaanxi folk paper-cutting:
Ancient times: The Yellow River Basin is the cradle of the Chinese nation. As early as ancient times, humans have discovered and used the artistic technique of using influence as an image representation, and then created sculptures carved and hollowed out on various materials. artistic language. Such as the painted pottery and rock paintings of primitive society and the bronze art of the Shang Dynasty.
Han: The development of portrait stones and portrait bricks in the Han Dynasty provided a rich modeling language and artistic techniques for the art form of paper-cutting.
"The concubines of the Han Dynasty played with their babies in front of the window, skillfully cutting tung leaves to shine on the screen." There was no shortage of cutting and carving patterns using thin sheets of material before the existence of paper. Our country is the country that invented paper, and papermaking began as early as the Western Han Dynasty. , 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. The existence of paper-cutting in the Han Dynasty is mainly due to the custom of "spring worship" at the beginning of spring. "Spring worship" refers to the sacrifice of the Qing Emperor "Jumang" ("Jumang" originally referred to the official in charge of trees, and was later extended to the tree god and the green god. , also known as "Green Emperor"), is used to pray for a good agricultural harvest throughout the year and to encourage people to farm diligently. "Sacrifice to the Qing Emperor" is a government act. On this day, BeijingAll the officials in the division wore blue clothes, and the local officials wore blue headscarves, put up blue flags, and displayed farming tools to indicate good omens. Among the people, people cut and carve silk fabrics of various colors, sew them into small flags, and wear them on their heads to express their prayers to the Green God. This is what people in later generations usually call "cutting the ribbon for Pan" or "cutting the ribbon". "Cai" is a general term for a variety of silk fabrics. Silk fabrics used for writing or painting in the Han Dynasty were also called "paper" (recorded in "Book of the Later Han·Cai Lun"). In this period when papermaking was not yet popular, "cai" "Ribbon-cutting" can be said to be the modern paper-cutting.
Two Jin Dynasties: During the Two Jin Dynasty, following the customs of the Han Dynasty, people still cut ribbons into pans at the beginning of spring. The content and materials they cut were enriched, not only in the shape of flags, but also in the shape of swallows, etc., which were different. Whats more, a new custom was added during this period: "cutting the ribbon for others". There are ancient records: "On the seventh day of the first lunar month, seven kinds of vegetables are used as soup, and ribbons are cut to make people, or gold foil is engraved to make people, and they can be pasted on the screen, and also worn on the temples, and made of flowers as a legacy." This fully explains this activity. These reflect that the artistic behavior of paper-cutting does not exist in isolation. It has a certain carrier, or customs, or habits. It is rooted in peoples actual life, is closely related to peoples lives, and derives strong vitality from it.
Tang Dynasty: In the Tang Dynasty, the content of paper-cutting art and the materials used became more abundant. For example, the custom of "worshiping the Qing Emperor at the beginning of spring" not only existed in its previous form. During the Zhongzong period of the Tang Dynasty, the government added the content of cutting ribbon flowers. After cutting, one was given to each of the courtiers to welcome the spring, and bachelors were required to do so. Compose poems in praise of this behavior. From Li Shangyins poems such as "carving gold to pass on Jing customs, cutting ribbons to remember Jin style" and Song Zhiwens poems such as "the spring is beautiful this year, it should be urged by scissors", we can fully feel that the paper-cutting activity was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people at that time; another The picture of a bamboo forest and children playing with dogs is known as "people win".
The materials used in paper-cutting mainly include paper, silk fabrics, and gold foil. They can also be combined in pairs to create richer effects. In terms of craftsmanship, the methods of combining cutting and engraving, cutting and painting, and cutting and dyeing are no different from the current methods. During this period, paper-cut patterns had been applied to other crafts. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, a gold and silver inlay technology appeared. The engraved gold and silver foil was pasted on the back of lacquerware or bronze mirrors, and then filled with gold and silver. The paint was polished flat, revealing a brilliant golden pattern on the paint floor. The Tang Dynasty gold and silver plate from Zhengzhou, Henan Province came out of the mirror (diameter 36.Zc).m), is a work made with this craft. There is also a leather hat unearthed in Xi'an in 1973. The pattern is also hollow, indicating that paper cutting is also used in leather products.
Inheriting the legacy of the two Jin Dynasties, paper-cutting was widely used to decorate indoor environments in the Tang Dynasty. This statement is due to the Tang Dynasty "decorative paper flowers" discovered in Cave 17 of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang (now in the British Museum). Due to the same paper Flowers are also found on the walls and ceilings of other caves, and have no special meaning, so their main function is decoration. This makes it clearer that paper-cutting exists purely for aesthetic purposes.
Song Dynasty: There are even more records about paper-cutting in the Song Dynasty. Its development is mainly reflected in the extension of the custom of "cutting the spring bean at the beginning of spring" to New Years Day, thus the "Nian bean" appeared, and a large bean that can be pasted on the doorstep appeared. The meaning of this "Nian bean" Significance and the Modern Spring Festival&l
