Chicken-shaped decoration in Zhongyang Luliang folk paper-cutting
Through the above analysis, we know that the bun doll has the function of attracting souls and restoring the yang, exorcising ghosts and avoiding evil spirits in the lives of local people. This is related to the "double chickens" (double buns) in the graphic of the bun doll. Directly related to this, the locals also call the bun-grabbing doll "chicken-grabbing doll".
There are many images of the headdress with double chickens or holding chickens (birds) in both hands (the headdress with double chickens is regarded as a variation or omission of double buns). The headdress with "double chickens" can also be seen in the cultural relics of early Chinese society. The image of a bun-grabbing doll, such as the Shang Dynasty jade pendant now in the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Shang Dynasty jade carvings unearthed from Yin Ruins in Henan, and the Han Dynasty portrait bricks unearthed in Zhengzhou, Henan, all have such images. These images are related to the local folk paper-cutting in Zhongyang. Whether the image of the bun-grabbing doll in the movie is the same remains to be further verified, but it can at least show that the image of this "chicken" is relatively popular among the northern farming people, and this image has deep cultural connotations. "Xuanzhong Ji" records: "To the east of Penglai, on Daiji Mountain, there is a hibiscus tree. The tree is ten thousand feet high. There are often roosters singing on the top of the tree, and the sun birds respond to them. The sun birds sing, and the world is full of joy. All the chickens crow."
The "Shu Yi Ji" written by Zu Chongzhi of the Southern Dynasty records: "There is Taodu Mountain in the southeast. There is a big tree on the mountain called Taodu. The branches are three thousand miles apart, and there is a pheasant on it. When the sun shines on this tree, the sky rooster crows. All the chickens in the world will crow with it." From this point of view, our ancients equated chickens with the golden bird (chicken) that symbolizes the sun, and used it as a symbol of the sun and masculinity. Perhaps in the concept of primitive people, it is precisely because the crow of the chicken replaces the sunshine and dispels the long night when evil spirits are rampant.
Since the ancients equated the sun with yang and life, it is reasonable for the worship of the sun to extend to the worship of chickens and the worship of oneself. Chen Haozi of the Qing Dynasty made it clear in his "Flower Realm": "A rooster can win a fight and ward off evil spirits." This sentence vividly illustrates that ancient women wearing chicken-shaped ornaments on their heads can ward off evil spirits. In addition, there are local examples that can prove the function of chicken as a masculine spirit attractor.In the Ming Dynasty, during funerals in Zhongyang, there was a custom of placing a "soul-inducing chicken" next to the head of the deceased. It was said to be used to lead the soul of the deceased back to the Yang world.
Through the retrospective analysis of the connotations of the above types of paper-cut patterns, we can see that the cultural connotation of Zhongyang folk paper-cuts has surpassed the aesthetic value of the image itself, and it contains the genes of the Chinese nations cultural development for thousands of years. It reflects the original Chinese philosophical thought of the combination of yin and yang, transformation of all things, and endless life. In the exploration of its cultural connotation, we can see the stumbling steps of human beings from clan to society, from ignorance to civilization, and hear the impact of human group consciousness on An ode to the main body of life’s reproduction.
