The development and change of Chinese paper—cutting

趙海若

【Abstract】Art comes from life and reflects life. Chinese paper-cutting is an important art in Chinese folk culture. Due to the impact of commodity economy， modern technology and change of ideology， our living conditions， lifestyles and folk customs have been changed a lot. Accordingly， the Chinese paper-cutting art has also been changed dramatically.

【Key words】Chinese； paper-cutting； development； change

1. Overview of paper-cutting development

Chinese paper-cutting has a long history but it is hard to tell the precise time of origination partly because the nature of paper is such that it does not easily survive the ravages of time. From the third century BC， people began to make some patterns on thin slice of gold， leather， silk or bark with the technique of hollow-carving. But the real paper-cutting didnt appear until Han Dynasty when paper-making technique was invented. The earliest master piece of paper-cutting was found in a tomb of Southern and Northern Dynasty in Xingjiang province mainly because the dry weather made the papercuts well-preserved. This is the strong evidence for the development of paper-cutting. By Ming and Qing Dynasty， paper-cutting became more mature and reaches its prosperous time.

Paper-cutting are handicrafts. Papers， scissors and knives are the common materials utilized. There are two techniques for making paper-cutting： scissors-cutting and knife-cutting. More papercuts are made with the knife-cutting technique because it is easy to manipulated and less time consuming. For the beginners， the patterns on coloured papers drawn in advance or printed from a readymade design are necessary. But the really adept practitioners can cut freehand. It is amazing to see them cut complex and beautiful patterns of animals， flowers and human figures rapidly. Another method is to fold the paper in various ways and then cut it to make identical or geometrically ordered pattern.

The content of paper-cutting is rich and various. At the beginning it was utilized as a tool to communicate between human and their idol. It was an important part of regional ceremony. It is still used in big and important festivals like Lunar New Year nowadays. Gradually it became less expensive and precious because of the spread of paper. Then this art form was mainly used for two purposes： decorations and expressions for seeking blessings and peace. These two functions usually appeared and mixed together. Paper-cutting is widely used as ornaments on different parts of a house like gates， walls， windows， columns， lanterns and lamps. It as well appeared on mirrors， fans， folding screens. Each traditional subject of paper-cutting is a symbol of good wishes. For example， lotus stands for large family with many descendents， pigs for fertility， peaches and pines for longevity. Some characters are used for the pronunciation is the same with good word meaning “l(fā)uck” or “happiness”. For example， bat which is read as “fu” for good luck and fish which is read as “yu” for affluence. Some Chinese characters such as “fu” are employed to express good wishes in paper-cutting.

Besides these， paper-cutting can be served as a guide for woodcarvers or embroiderers. In some parts of China， people bury papercuts with the deceased or burn them with the other symbolic figures of the dead.

Paper-cutting is especially popular in rural area. In the past， native girls learned to master this handicraft in her young age because it was required for a bride-to-be. For thousands of years， with the unique style and charm， folk paper-cutting spreads， evolves， and reflects the feelings and daily lives of ordinary people. People regard paper-cutting as part of their life and express their love and hatred， hope and sustenance with the manifestation styles like exaggeration and deformation. The popularity of paper-cutting in country area provides it a good chance to develop.

2. Changes of Chinese paper-cutting

Chinese paper-cutting has evolved for thousands of years. The themes of papercuts reveal many local Chinese customs. They typically demonstrate the preferred aesthetics of shape and the artistic concepts behind Chinese folk handicrafts. It is one of the finest treasures of our nation. It is our responsibility to inherit and develop this folk art. We should investigate its value and significance in modern society so that it is well-grounded to survive. We should create new expression styles， techniques and applications so that the art is animated and updated. Actually the paper-cutting has made some changes in recent years by itself.

2.1 Changes of content in Chinese paper-cutting

As we mentioned above that there are some traditional patterns of paper-cutting like bat， lotus or “fu” character. Old papercuts feature fairies of ancient legend， heroes of history or character of well-known novels. Besides these， new scenes have recently appeared describing city development with skyscraper， advanced technology like rocket launching or vast new dams and hydro-electric enterprises. Other examples are newly engineered roads snake their tortuous way up and down in rugged mountain terrain or famous landscapes of Zhangjiajie， medieval walls of the Potala Palace in Tibet. These papercuts perfectly combined the elements of both traditional and modern society. These changes make papercuts more close to peoples daily life so that it will be easier to be accepted.

2.2 Changes of function in Chinese paper-cutting

Along with the evolvement of ideology， the function of paper-cutting has also changed. The role of paper-cutting in religion ceremony and festival gradually weakened. It is still used as a symbol for blessing in country area but it is not so popular in cities. Since the preference for house decoration is quite different from that in the old time， the paper-cutting plays littlie role in modern architecture and apartment. Nowadays people regard paper-cutting as a kind of folk art. The collect pieces with high-level of art taste and appreciate them privately.

2.3 Changes of techniques in Chinese paper-cutting

The materials for old paper-cutting are limited. With the advance of technology， new materials and expression styles are applied in paper-cutting. For example， the style changes from static to dynamic or from two dimensions to three dimensions. Abstract manifestation is widely used to emphasize the artistic effect. Elements which are different from traditions and express individual interests emerge in the new papercuts. All changes make the old art more vivid and stylish.

3. Conclusions

Art comes from life and reflects life. Chinese paper-cutting is an important art in Chinese folk culture. Due to the impact of commodity economy， modern technology and change of ideology， our living conditions， lifestyles and folk customs have been changed a lot. Accordingly， the content， function and style of Chinese paper-cutting art have also been changed dramatically.

Reference：

[1]LI Yali.Research on Chinese paper cutting.Science and Technology Information.2014（5）.

[2]Wang Yinyin，Zhang Chang.The history and development of folk paper cutting.Yi Hai.2010（8）.

[3]Liu Xin.A study on the heritage and development of folk paper cutting.Liaoling Normal University.