What is the historical story about paper cutting?

China's folk paper-cutting handicraft art has its own formation and development process, the invention of paper in China is in the BC era of the Western Han Dynasty (6th century BC), before this is impossible to have the emergence of the art of paper-cutting, but at that time, people use sheet material, through the hollowing out of the carving technique made of handicrafts, but as early as in the absence of paper on the popularity of paper, that is, with the sculpture, hollowing out, picking, engraving, cutting techniques in the gold, leather, silk, and even in the leaves of cutting and engraving patterns. silk, and even on leaves. The historical record of the cut Tong Feng Di described the early Western Zhou Dynasty King Cheng with sycamore leaves cut into "kui" given to his brother, sealed Ji Yu to Tang as a marquis. Warring States period, there is leather skeletonization, (Hubei Jiang Ling Wangshan one of the Chu tomb excavated artifacts), silver foil skeletonization carving (Henan Huixian solid surrounding the village of one of the excavated artifacts of the warring states ruins), are with the paper-cutting with the withdrawal of a withdrawal, the emergence of them for the formation of folk paper-cutting has laid a certain foundation. China's earliest discovery of paper-cutting works, is in 1967, China's archaeologists in Xinjiang Turpan Basin, Gaochang site near the Astana Ancient North Dynasty curtain group, the discovery of the two regimental flower paper-cutting, they use the hemp paper, are folded ritual paper-cutting, their discovery of China's paper-cutting formation to provide physical evidence.

On the history of paper-cutting handicraft art, that is, the real meaning of paper-cutting, should start from the emergence of paper. The invention of paper in the Han Dynasty prompted the emergence, development and popularization of paper cutting. Paper is a very easy to moldy materials, in the southeastern region of China's climate is humid, coupled with the local rainy days every year in May and June, a long time paper products on the moldy, and folk paper-cutting is a popular thing, people will not be like a treasure to save up, spoiled their own can be cut again. And in the northwest of China, dry, dry climate, the paper is not easy to mold, which may also be found in Xinjiang Turpan area of the Northern Dynasties paper cuts one of the important reasons.

Tang Dynasty paper-cutting - paper flowers Tang Dynasty paper-cutting has been in a period of great development, Du Fu's poem has "warm water Maundy my feet, paper-cutting to attract my soul" sentence, to paper-cutting to attract the soul of the custom has been spreading folk. Now hidden in the British Museum of the Tang Dynasty paper cutting can be seen at that time paper cutting handmade art level has been extremely high, the picture composition is complete, expressing a kind of heaven and earth ideal realm. Tang dynasty popular jie, its openwork woodblock pattern with paper-cutting characteristics, such as now hidden in Japan's Masakura Yard of the "sheep", the pattern of the sheep is a typical paper-cutting handmade art expression. Tang Dynasty folk also appeared in the form of paper cuts using the production of leakage printing plate, people with thick paper carved into a flower plate, the dye will leakage printing to the cloth, the formation of beautiful patterns.

The Song Dynasty paper industry is mature, paper products a variety of names, for the popularity of paper cutting provides the conditions. Such as becoming a folk gift "gift flower", stick on the window "window flower", or used for lanterns, tea decorations. Song dynasty folk paper cutting the use of gradually expanding the scope of Jiangxi Jizhou kilns will be paper cutting as a ceramic pattern, through the glaze, firing to make ceramics more beautiful; folk also use paper cutting in the form of donkeys, cows, horses, sheep and other animal skin, carved into shadow play characters; blue printed fabric crafting skeletonization plate is made of oil on cardboard carving into patterns, scraping printing pattern is the use of paper-cutting techniques, there is a yin, Yang carved points, the long line to cut, to point points of reality.

Ming and Qing dynasties paper-cutting handicraft art to maturity, and reached its heyday. Folk paper-cutting handmade art of a wider range of applications, such as folk lanterns on the flower decoration, fan decoration, as well as embroidery patterns, etc., are not the use of paper-cutting as a decorative into the reprocessing. More often than not, China's folk paper cutting as decorative home ornaments, beautify the home environment, such as door stacks, window flowers, cabinet flowers, happy flowers, roof flowers are used to decorate doors and windows, room paper cutting. In addition to the paper-tie pattern craftsmen who appeared after the Southern Song Dynasty, the most basic team of Chinese folk paper-cutting handicraft is still those rural women. Women's red is an important symbol of the perfection of traditional women in China, and paper-cutting, as a compulsory skill of women's red, has become a craft that girls have to learn from childhood. They have to learn the pattern of paper-cutting from their seniors or sisters, and through cutting, re-cutting, painting and cutting, depicting their own familiar and love of natural scenery, fish, insects, birds and animals, flowers, trees, pavilions, bridges and landscapes, and finally to reach the realm of the heart, the hands of the cut out the new pattern to.

Chinese folk paper-cutting handicraft art, like an ivy plant, ancient and evergreen, its unique popularity, practicality, aesthetics has become a symbolism in line with the psychological needs of the people.