Looking for the history of paper-cutting

『The concubine of the Han Dynasty plays with her baby in front of the window, skillfully cutting tung leaves to shine on the window screen. 』The use of thin sheets of material to cut and engrave patterns was already common before paper existed, such as the gold and silver foil engravings of the Han Dynasty. But paper-cutting in the exact sense is, of course, after the advent of paper. my country is the country that invented paper and began making paper as early as the Western Han Dynasty. At this point, the art of paper-cutting, which made use of paper's ease of cutting and carving, met the needs of folk customs, and subsequently emerged among the people. However, the earliest paper-cut objects discovered so far are five group-flower paper-cuts from the Northern Dynasties (386 to 581 AD) unearthed near the Flame Mountain in Turpan, Xinjiang. These paper-cuts are very similar to today's folk flower paper-cuts, using repeated folding methods and non-blocking images.

Real paper-cuts after the Tang Dynasty are rare. There are leather engraved crowns and stencilled prints to prove it. In the Song Dynasty, industrial paper-cutting and paper-cutting for craft decoration appeared. A common example is the paper-cut pattern on the Song Dynasty porcelain of Jizhou kiln. In addition, shadow puppets were popular in the Song Dynasty, and shadow puppets were also made with paper, which were called "paper window shadows". There are still paper-cuts similar to the shadow puppet style in some areas, which shows the influence and convergence of these two similar art forms. The handed down works of paper-cutting from the Ming and Qing Dynasties include embroidery patterns, fan decorations, window grilles, etc., and their styles tend to be delicate and beautiful. Seeking elegance in the vulgarity.

Since paper-cutting only exists in response to the needs of people's customs and customs, and its materials are not easy to preserve, there are few works that truly represent different historical periods. We might as well find some clues from the ancient records and literati's writings. "Warm soup fills my feet, paper-cutting attracts my soul" ----- "Peng Ya Xing" by Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty

"The gold-finishing of the building spreads the Jing customs, and the ribbon-cutting inspires the Jin style"--- -- Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty, "Ren Ri"

"On an auspicious day, King Wu Yuejian traveled to... hundreds of households outside the city. There is no hanging brocade, but people and horses are cut out of colored paper to replace them." ----- "Wulin Fanzhi" of the Five Dynasties

"Towards Tianjie, the old capital, there are people who cut out various colors and patterns. They are extremely exquisite and can be used as you like. It is made... There are young masters who can cut words and flowers on the sleeves... -----‖ Zhou Mi's "Zhiyatang Miscellaneous Notes"

"A gauze lantern made in Jiajing, carved on paper Flowers, bamboos and birds. With the light and thick covering color, slowly dyed with melted wax, clamped with a light Shao, it will be bright and translucent when reflected in the sun, and the fragrance will dance, and it will be lost in the light smoke, and it is indistinguishable from the real thing. 』 ------ "Suzhou Prefecture Chronicles" of the Ming Dynasty

"Stone Girl, the daughter of Zhang Cai Gong, has clever ideas and chats with people. In her sleeves are finely cut spring flowers and autumn chrysanthemums, fine grass and weeping willows. I can't help but be fascinated..." ----- "Baoding Prefecture Chronicles" of the Qing Dynasty

Due to the long-term stability of our country's folk customs and the cultural isolation of many remote areas, some patterns of paper-cutting have been relatively credible. The original basic form is spread among the people. For example, Zhuangfu's poem mentions the soul-awakening paper-cutting in Baishui, Shaanxi and other places. Works of similar form can still be seen there today.