Chinese Paper Cutting | Jiǎnzhǐ | Facts, History, Categories & Applications
Facts about Chinese Paper Cutting
Paper cutting (剪纸) is an art of paper design, which is popular in nations around the world such as China, Japan, Sweden, Mexico, and so on. People indeed divide paper cutting into the East school and the West school. Actually, paper cutting originated in China during the Northern Dynasties (386–581). People used scissors or knives to produce wonderful decorative patterns of the paper by cutting and carving. Due to the economic development and cultural exchange of China in ancient times, paper cutting was spread to the western countries in the 1600s. Gradually, paper cutting became a popular activity around the world. In 2009, Chinese paper cutting art was declared the world intangible heritage by UNESCO.
History of Chinese Paper Cutting
Chinese paper cutting has 1500 years of history. Since Cai Lun (? -121AD) invented paper in 105 AD, people started exploring more possibilities of paper by cutting and carving. The earliest product of Chinese paper cutting was unearthed at Flaming Mountains (火焰山) in Xinjiang by 2004, verified to be the cultural relic of the Northern Dynasties (386–581). During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), Chinese paper cutting entered into a period of enormous development. The prominent poet Du Fu (712–770) once wrote: “暖汤濯我足，翦纸招我魂” (nuǎn tāng zhuó wǒ zú, jiǎn zhǐ zhāo wǒ hún) to admire the fascination of Chinese paper cutting in his poem Travelling at Pengya (《彭衙行》[péng yá xíng]). During the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), there appeared with craftsmen who made a living on paper cutting. Chinese paper cutting continued to mature in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1840).
Moved into the modern era, Chinese paper cutting has stagnated for some time. But after President Mao advocated innovation in artistic creation in 1956, Chinese paper cutting ushered in a new era of development. Artists produced plenty of contemporary patterns of Chinese paper cutting, which enriched both the form and content of the Chinese folk decoration art.
Categories of Chinese Paper Cutting
Because of the huge regional disparity in China, paper cuttings are various in different places. They are usually fallen into the North school and the South school.
The North School：The style of the North school is concise and straightforward, focusing on the subjects. The North school consists of Shaanxi paper cutting, Shanxi paper cutting, Shandong paper cutting and Yuxian paper cutting in Hebei. Among the North school, Yuxian paper cutting is the most famous and special one since craftsmen will carve patterns instead of cutting on the rice paper. In 2006, Yuxian paper cutting was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage reserve. Except for Yuxian paper cutting, the other three representative northern paper cuttings are generally made by cutting with scissors.
The South School：Comparing with the North school, the South school concentrates on showing the details of the subjects, aiming to emphasize the exquisite skills of the craftsmen. There are Fujian cutting paper, Foshan cutting paper in Guangzhou, and Mianyang cutting paper in Hubei. Foshan cutting paper has existed since the Song Dynasty (960–1279), having the longest history in the South school. In most cases, craftsmen in Foshan choose to make the flower-shaped paper cuttings to express their best wishes while people in Mianyang and Fujian prefer to make animal-shaped paper cuttings.
Applications of Chinese Paper Cutting
With the 1500 years that Chinese paper cutting has experienced, people have concluded three major applications of paper cuttings. Firstly, people use paper cuttings to decorate their windows, cabinets, and doors during holidays to increase the happy atmosphere. Secondly, paper cuttings are pasted on objects at weddings and funerals. Thirdly, people design varieties of pretty patterns and printed them on clothes, bed-sheetings, and other fabrics.
View more contents at Pandarow.
