Chinese Paper-Cut

Paper-cut artwork - a monkey holding a peach indicates the longevity of the senior.Paper-cut is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. Later, they were used during festivals to decorate gates and windows. After hundreds of years' development, now they have become a very popular means of decoration among country folk, especially women.

The main cutting tools are simple: paper and scissors or an engraving knife, but clever and deft craftspeople are remarkably good at cutting in the theme of daily life. When you look at items made in this method carefully, you will be amazed by the true to life expressions of the figure's sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals' diverse gestures. Patterns of chrysanthemum display the curling petals, pied magpies show their tiny feathers and others such as a married daughter returning to her parents' home, or young people paying a Chinese New Year call to their grandparents.

Although other art forms, like painting, can also show similar scenes, paper cutting still stands out for its charm - exacting lines and ingenious patterns which are all hand-made. To make the three-dimensional scenes pop out visually from the paper, as they are usually in monochrome, engravers must exert their imagination. They must delete secondary parts and compose the main body properly, abstractly and boldly. Though simple, the color then appears charmingly bright.

The image of an ethnic minority girl cut with paper It is easy to learn about cutting a piece of paper but very difficult to master it with perfection. One must grasp the knife in an upright fashion and press evenly on the paper with some strength. Flexibility is required but any hesitation or wiggling will lead to imprecision or damage the whole image. Engravers stress the cutting lines in several styles. They attempt to carve a circle like the moon, a straight line like a stem of wheat, a square like a brick, and jaggedly like the beard.

People find hope and comfort in expressing wishes with paper cuttings. For example: for a wedding ceremony, red paper cuttings are a traditional and required decoration on the tea set, the dressing table glass, and on other furniture. A big red paper character 'Xi' (happiness) is a traditional must on the newlywed's door. Upon the birthday party of a senior, the character 'Shou' represents longevity and will add delight to the whole celebration; while a pattern of plump children cuddling fish signifies that every year they will be abundant in wealth.

- Last updated on Sep. 27, 2018 -
Questions & Answers on Chinese Paper-Cut
Asked by Dani from USA | Apr. 01, 2015 23:17Reply
Where should I go to meet and study under paper cut artists in China?
I am a paper cutting artist from USA but I am traveling to China this summer to research paper cutting. where do you suggest visiting? I will visit Beijing's 798 district and Foshan, but do you know of any other places with a high concentration of paper artists?
Answers (2)
Answered by Lingling from FINLAND | Apr. 05, 2015 22:56
114Reply


You can go to the Paper Cutting Museum of China for a better knowledge. It is located at no. 2, Majia Lane, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Answered by SARAH T from CHINA | Oct. 17, 2017 23:31
31Reply


Well...I'm a Chinese.And YuXian,ZhangJiakou is a good place to learn and explore paper cutting.And YuXian is also known as a place of traditional paper cutting~
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