What is the main theme of character paper-cutting?

People's paper-cutting accounts for a large proportion in paper-cutting. Mainly to show the daily customs, opera figures and folklore in rural areas. The subjects that express daily customs are all people and things that people like to see and hear in the countryside. The themes of opera characters mostly reflect the themes of heroes and historical stories. However, the themes of operas in different places are not the same in expression. For example, Hebei opera works are mainly based on negative lines, and most of them are expressed by a single character, which has a strong dynamic trend and is characterized by frontal images and a sense of sculpture. In Shaanxi, there are simple props, which generally show a certain plot by combining characters. The characters are similar to the shadow play, mainly engraved in the positive side, and the front side is mostly carved. The paper-cut of Shanxi opera characters is similar to Shaanxi in cutting and engraving techniques, with no borders and backgrounds, only simple props. Zhejiang, on the other hand, pays attention to portraying the characters' personalities, showing the characters in intaglio and the background in intaglio, with proper configuration of reality and reality, a regular outer frame, and emphasizing the integrity of the picture. The theme of folklore is very popular in rural areas, and it is generally a household name, and its expression form is mostly the same as that of local opera window grilles. Character paper-cutting has its own characteristics in modeling, which is closely related to the tools and conditions used. For example, the eyes, eyebrows, nose and hair of the characters are all distorted and exaggerated for the convenience of engraving and cutting. The eyes in the face are always the boss, and the side face often accounts for half of the face with one eye. Sometimes the mouth is left untreated, and it is generalized and omitted. Hands and feet are just a few simple knives. The proportion of human body is generally a little shorter, which fully shows the temperament of workers and forms a unique artistic effect.