The yin and yang philosophy shown in traditional Chinese folk paper-cut patterns
Although the Chinese have created a splendid culture, they have not created their own complete religious system. One of the reasons for this is that the ancient Chinese formed a system that is different from other cultures. Traditional ways of understanding the world. They do not base their understanding of the world on any supernatural beliefs, but on the extraordinary abilities of human beings themselves. The ancient Chinese discovered the basic principle of life creation very early - the combination of yin and yang. The construction of this yin and yang relationship between heaven and earth comes from peoples thinking about the relationship between men and women and all gender relationships in nature. Heaven, earth, yin and yang are actually paired relationships in a philosophical sense, and yin and yang are not directly perceptible objects. Chinese Confucian scholars' descriptions of the relationship between heaven and earth often endow the perceptible characteristics of natural pairing. For example: "The fine construction of men and women, the transformation of all things" in "Yi Zhuan" is the so-called: "The way to establish heaven" "Yin means Yang"; in "Tai Chi Diagram", "Qian Dao gives birth to men, Kun Dao gives birth to women, and the two qi interact to produce all things." In their view, if humans are the product of the combination of yin and yang, then everything in the world should be It consists of two parts, Yin and Yang. Chaos transforms into "two instruments", that is, yin and yang, and then the yin and yang combine to create all things, and all things reproduce on this basis. The concept of endless life is the basis of the creation of Chinese folk art. "Book of Rites? Rituals Chapter": "The Ming Dynasty was born in the east, and the moon was born in the west. The difference between yin and yang is also the position of the couple." The moon essence is a toad, and the sun essence is a bird. They should come from birds flying in the sky, and toads burrowing in the sky. land. The sky is Qian and Yang, the earth is Kun and Yin; the sun is Yang and the moon is Yin. Wang Anshi said: "Everything has an even number." The Chinese peoples concept of "even" numbers reflects a strong reproductive worship and awareness of the reproduction of life. In the modeling system of folk art, a series of modeling rules with corresponding relationships and hidden awareness of life and reproduction have been formed. The basic composition of folk art is generally a combination of symbols symbolizing yin and yang, or animals and plants. In any meaningful composition we can find symbols of the yin and yang elements. Until now, these traditional animals and plants are still the basic materials for our folk art creation.
In the traditional folk paper-cutting art, the concept of yin and yang expressed in the minds of working people is deeply rooted. This concept of yin and yang is the experience and understanding of working people in social practice. It is the basis of the traditional yin and yang philosophical thought and is deeply influenced by this thought. One of the most eye-catching modeling methods in folk paper-cutting, "isomorphism of foreign objects", also comes from the philosophical concept of yin and yang. The so-called isomorphism is to select parts of different categories of things in nature and recombine them into a new thing, even though this kind of thing does not exist in the world. For example: "tiger head and fish tail", "crested fish tail", and "mermaid doll" and other shapes. Chinese people like to create based on their own understanding and feelings. When they need to express certain thoughts and feelings, such as the combination of yin and yang, and the intersection of male and female, they will superimpose two objects representing yin and yang together. It doesn't matter whether this combined shape conforms to the laws of nature and whether it is reasonable.
The "scratching bun dolls" that appear and are widely used in folk paper-cutting also mainly appear in the form of a combination of yin and yang. A bun doll usually has two "chicken"-shaped buns on its head. Sometimes the dolls shoulders, clothes, and feet are also decorated with chicken shapes. The dolls two hands have a chicken on one side. One side is a rabbit. Obviously, the chicken and the rabbit are symbols of the two elements of yin and yang respectively. The patterns decorated on the dolls, whether they are the pepper thorn pattern, persimmon stem pattern, double money pattern indicating women, or the wishful pattern, back pattern, cloud head pattern indicating men, etc., the symbolic meaning of reproduction and reproduction is very obvious. In folk belief, the bun doll is not only the goddess of reproduction, but also the protector of life.
In the expression of the theme of marriage, love and reproduction, the "fish playing with lotus", "fish diamond lotus", "butterfly making melon" and other image-like paper-cut shapes that refer to the marriage, love and reproduction of the two sexes are all about the union of men and women. It is a continuation of the original philosophical concept model of the creation of all things. It is by no means a reflection of natural life phenomena, but a cryptic symbol of the interaction between yin and yang and the concept of survival and reproduction. There are also a large number of teapots, teacups, buckle bowls, peaches, etc. in the folk paper-cut shapes. They are by no means simple dual images, but very clever metaphors for the philosophical meaning of the harmony of heaven and earth, the intersection of yin and yang, and the longevity of descendants. The application of the concept of yin and yang in the creation of collective consciousness and collective unconsciousness of folk artists.
