Paper-cutting in the Year of the Tiger has become a hot-selling product in the Year of the Tiger
The most important thing for Chinese people is the zodiac meaning of traditional years. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, and the paper-cut works of the Year of the Tiger are also sought after by people with the arrival of the Year of the Tiger in the lunar calendar. Many paper-cut societies and paper-cut companies have also launched their own tiger-themed paper-cut works. Once these paper-cut works were launched, they were loved by ordinary people and triggered a sales boom. This in itself is also a kind of Year of the Tiger culture. Concentrated expression.
As the Spring Festival approaches, folk handicrafts in Hefei, the provincial capital, are becoming more and more popular. What is different from previous years is that this year, in addition to buying cross-stitch, window grilles and other handicrafts, many people are also particularly interested in folk paper-cut handicrafts. "The big reason is that paper-cutting has just been included in the list of world intangible cultural heritage. Paper-cutting art has become a sweet pastry' for people to decorate their homes and give gifts to relatives and friends during the New Year," said a member of the Hefei Paper-cutting Association, which held an event at the Chenghuang Temple Cultural Center in the provincial capital. Zhu Shanzhong, the person in charge of the exhibition, said that the paper-cut market in the provincial capital has been growing rapidly this year, and it has the potential to surpass other folk art.
There are more than a thousand paper-cuts in the 30-square-meter exhibition hall
Yesterday afternoon, the reporter came to the exhibition hall of the Hefei Paper-cutting Association members exhibition in the Chenghuang Temple Cultural Center. This exhibition hall with the characteristics of floor painting is less than 30 square meters, and the walls are covered with various paper-cut crafts. "More than a thousand paper-cut handicrafts are displayed here, all from the hands of members of the Hefei Paper-cut Art Association." Zhu Shanzhong, secretary-general of the Hefei Paper-cut Art Committee, said that these exhibits are of various types, including festive and auspicious paper-cuts, opera character masks, landscapes, flowers and birds There are nearly ten categories including paper-cutting, and there are also "DIY" paper-cutting samples being developed by the "Huaxia Red" paper-cutting company.
Zhu Shanzhong, 35, is also a master of folk paper-cutting. When he was 12 years old, he started learning paper-cutting from his grandmother and has been doing it for more than 20 years. "The most important trick to paper-cutting is not manual dexterity, but patience and meticulousness." He pointed to the "Thousand-Hands, Thousand-Eyes Guanyin Picture" hanging on the wall and said, "This work took half a year from conception to actual operation. For many months, I have used the knife thousands of times. If I'm not careful, I will lose everything with just one knife."
Last year, Hefei CityThe Cultural Center established a paper-cutting art committee and attracted more than 100 folk paper-cutting masters from across the city to join.
Paper-cutting company’s turnover surges tenfold
In addition to serving on the Hefei Paper-cutting Art Committee, Zhu Shanzhong and his wife also opened the only professional paper-cutting company in the provincial capital at the beginning of last year. The company now has nearly 20 employees and deals in various paper-cutting crafts.
Since paper-cutting was officially added to the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List last year, Zhu Shanzhong’s business has boomed. "Originally, the companys monthly turnover was less than 2,000 yuan. After paper-cutting was added to the 'intangible cultural heritage' list, the 'worth' skyrocketed. Cheaper paper-cut artworks sold for 3 to 5 yuan, while more expensive ones cost hundreds or thousands of yuan. The average monthly turnover reaches nearly 20,000 yuan." He told reporters that not only domestic merchants from all over the country come to the company for purchase, but also foreign merchants from the United States, Japan, Singapore and other countries. "Now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, many citizens have begun to order paper-cuts for home decoration, gifts for relatives and friends, or as commemorative collections. This year is the Year of the Tiger, and paper-cuts with tiger patterns are selling particularly well."
The reporter met a Canadian Chinese in the exhibition hall. She introduced herself as the principal of a local art school and planned to take some paper-cutting back home and hold a paper-cutting art exhibition to spread Chinas intangible cultural heritage to foreign students.
Hefei paper-cutting should take the road of industrialization
Talking about the future development process of Hefei folk paper-cutting, Zhu Shanzhong believes that the number of Hefei citizens participating in learning paper-cutting is still too small. Only by taking the road of industrial development can we find good development opportunities.
He introduced that at this stage, folk paper-cutting in Fuyang, Anhui, Tonglu, Zhejiang and other places has become an industry. In comparison, the industrialization process of Hefei paper-cutting has just begun. "I remember that when I was a child, paper-cutting was an elective course in the schools art class. Now looking at the childrens art books, this course has not been included in the required art courses." He believes that learning paper-cutting should start from childhood. Only in this way can the countrys traditional culture be passed on.
"Now, our company is developing a kind of paper-cutting called 'DIY', which means we provide scissors and templates for citizens to cut by themselves." Zhu Shanzhong believes that art cannot be separated from life, and the development of paper-cutting should be integrated into peoples daily life Life, "We encourage citizens to buy not finished paper-cut art products in the future, but paper-cut raw materials suitable for their own making."
Original text: Hefei Online-Jianghuai Morning News Wu Yang The company name does not represent the views of Paper Art Network orRecommended
