An introduction to Hezhen folk paper-cutting

The fish skin paper-cuts of the Hezhen people are embroidery patterns, or the patterns cut from fish skin are painted in black, red and other colors as applique patterns to decorate clothes. The contents of paper-cutting are mostly animals that are familiar to people in daily life, such as hooves, birds, and fish, or fantasy animals that are worshiped as gods, such as dragons, double-headed eagles, bird-fish fusion, bird-dragon fusion, etc. , mostly gods worshiped by shamans, and generally few human figures appear.

Exaggerated shapes are the prominent feature of the Hezhe fish skin paper-cut patterns, emphasizing decorative interest. For example, the antlers can be changed into spiral patterns, the deer tail can be exaggerated into a ponytail shape, and the deer legs can be evolved into a curved branch shape, etc. wait. The modeling techniques of the animals are all from the front and side instead of the symmetrical techniques common in paper-cutting. This method is to highlight their physical characteristics. It is very similar to the modeling in the ancient rock paintings in this region and is the inheritance and continuation of regional culture.