What is the origin and significance of Chinese paper-cutting?

1. The origin of traditional paper-cutting in China dates back to before Cai Lun invented papermaking in the Eastern Han Dynasty. With the development of history and the improvement of economy, culture and science and technology, folk paper-cutting art matured in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but it really flourished after the middle of Qing Dynasty. Because of its "preciousness" in the early days of invention, paper-cutting art first began to spread in the court and the scholar-bureaucrat mansion, and became the "favorite" of ladies. It spread to the Tang and Song Dynasties and was very popular in various folk festivals. In the Yuan Dynasty, it spread to the Middle East and Europe. Therefore, his artistic works have been combined with people's daily life festivals in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

2. The significance of traditional paper-cutting in China: There are many pictures reflecting production and life in folk paper-cutting. One of the biggest similarities between these works is that they exaggerate the main body, such as big fish, big peppers, big silkworms and big grains. Through paper-cutting, people invented a beautiful image; Comfort one's soul, publicize one's great creativity in conquering nature, establish one's ideal world, affirm one's strength, and inspire people's courage to continue their struggle.

Extended data:

After the founding of New China, under the guidance of the literary policy of "letting a hundred flowers blossom and bringing forth the new", artists have created a large number of new paper-cuts to express new socialist people and new things, which has opened up the way for paper-cutting creation and enriched the form and content of Chinese folk decorative arts. In the creation of new paper-cutting, children, sports, acrobatics, singing and dancing have also become the most common themes of paper-cutting.