China's old stuff

Paper cutting, also known as paper carving, window cutting or painting cutting. The difference is that when creating, some use scissors and some use carving knives. Although the tools are different, the artistic works created are basically the same, which is collectively called paper-cutting. Paper-cutting is a kind of hollow art, which gives people a sense of emptiness and artistic enjoyment visually. Its carrier can be paper, gold foil, silver foil, bark, leaves, cloth, leather and other sheet materials.

China folk paper-cut handicraft art has its own formation and development process. China's paper was invented in the Western Han Dynasty (6th century BC), before which the art of paper-cutting could not have appeared. But at that time, people used thin materials to make handicrafts by hollowing out and carving, but it was popular long before paper appeared, that is, cutting gold foil, leather, silk and even leaves by carving, carving, picking, carving and cutting. According to Records of the Historian Jiantong Di Feng, in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, a king claimed the title of king, and cut a plane tree leaf into a "reed" and gave it to his younger brother, who was named Hou in the Tang Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, leather carvings (one of the cultural relics unearthed from Chu Tomb No.1 in Jiangling, Hubei Province) and silver foil carvings (one of the cultural relics unearthed from Guwei Village in Huixian County, Henan Province) were all demolished together with paper-cutting, and their appearance laid a certain foundation for the formation of folk paper-cutting. The earliest paper-cutting works in China were found in 1967, when China archaeologists discovered two paper-cuts with flowers in the northern tombs of Astana near Gaochang Site in Turpan Basin, Xinjiang. They use hemp paper, all of which are folded sacrificial paper-cuts. Their discovery provides physical evidence for the formation of Chinese paper-cutting.

Festival lanterns (displayed on the Lantern Festival)

Lantern, also known as "colored lantern", is a cultural product of Chinese traditional agricultural era, which has both life function and artistic characteristics. Lantern Festival originated from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who set up an altar in the palace on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to worship the most distinguished Taiyi God at that time. It is held all night, and lights must be lit all night. This is the beginning of the Lantern Festival. After Buddhism was introduced to China from India, due to the combination of Taoist immortal art and the piety of burning lanterns to worship Buddha, on the night of the fifteenth day of the first month, the lights were brightly lit in urban and rural areas, and the gentry and ordinary people all hung lights, forming a unique custom of combining Chinese and Western.

Yuanxiao originated in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty and spread among the people in the Song Dynasty. The production of lanterns in the past dynasties in China was very particular and varied. For example, Tang Yin, a painter in the Ming Dynasty, said in a poem: "Light without moon is not spring. Spring comes to people's hearts, and the lights burn like silver in the next month. The streets are full of women dressed in pearls and green. They are singing and playing games with the gods. How can we get rid of this good time until Fang Zun smiles? "

Historical legends of lanterns

During the reign of Yang Di in Sui Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was full of fun and stayed up all night, and lanterns gradually developed into an important activity of the Lantern Festival.

In the Tang dynasty, because of social prosperity and economic prosperity, lanterns were more brilliant and the scale of activities was quite large. The crowds watching the lights were crowded, from princes and nobles to hawkers and pawns, all went out to enjoy the lights. During the reign of Xuanzong, the prohibition of the Western Han Dynasty continued. Chang 'an, the capital of Beijing, even canceled the three-night curfew before and after the Lantern Festival, and expanded the implementation of "night release" to facilitate people to enjoy the lanterns. After the Tang Dynasty, lanterns became an important symbol of the Lantern Festival.

Although the national strength of the Song Dynasty was weak, this culture was vigorously promoted by the royal family, making the Song Dynasty another important historical stage in the development of lanterns. In Ming and Qing dynasties, the lantern viewing craze continued unabated, and there was even a lantern market in the square, selling lanterns of various styles to compete for beauty.

China people have a history of more than 2,000 years of setting off Kongming lanterns on the Lantern Festival. There are many kinds and styles of lanterns all over the country, which are very popular.

China Lantern is a comprehensive art made of various technologies, crafts, decorative techniques and materials. There are many kinds of lanterns, such as dragon lanterns, palace lanterns, gauze lanterns, flower blue lanterns, dragon and phoenix lanterns, corner lanterns, tree lanterns, fireworks lanterns and mushroom lanterns, with round, square, cylindrical and polygonal shapes.

shadow play

Shadow play, also known as light and shadow, is named after the characters carved with animal skins perform with bright cloth under the illumination of light, and it is one of the widely circulated puppet shows in China. shadow play

Shadow play, formerly known as "shadow play" or "light shadow play", is a kind of folk drama that uses light to illuminate the silhouette of people made of animal skin or cardboard to perform stories. In the performance, the artists manipulated the opera characters behind the white curtain, sang stories with local popular tunes, and matched them with percussion instruments and strings, which had a strong local flavor. In rural areas of Henan and Shanxi, this simple Han folk art form is very popular with people. Its performers manipulate silhouettes, sing or accompany music behind the scenes. Shadow play was once one of the most popular folk entertainment activities in the underdeveloped media such as film and television. Shadow play is an ancient traditional art of Han nationality in China, and the old Beijingers call it "donkey shadow play". For thousands of years, this ancient art, accompanied by generations of ancestors, has spent many happy times. Shadow play is not only a puppet art, but also an authentic handicraft. It is made of donkey, horse and mule skins through several processes such as material selection, carving, coloring, sewing and painting. Shadow play is exquisitely made, exquisite in craftsmanship and lively in performance. Influenced by many factors, such as the external environment, differences in animal cortex and so on, the modeling styles of shadow play vary from place to place. By the Yuan Dynasty, shadow play had spread to various countries. This art form, which originated in China, has attracted many foreign opera lovers. People affectionately call it "China Shadow Play Lamp". The production process is as follows: first, soak the leather, scrape it flat and grind it flat, then the artist draws maps of various figures on it, chisels it with various knives, and then paints it with colors. When carving, it is usually front carving and sometimes back carving. Painting and dyeing pay attention to women's hair accessories and costumes with flowers, grass, clouds, phoenix and other patterns as patterns, while men use dragons, tigers, water, clouds and other patterns as patterns. A loyal minister has five sides, and a villain has seven sides. Character modeling and drama characters, life, Dan, clean and ugly roles are complete. The height of shadow play is 55 cm, and the height of shadow play is about 10 cm. The limbs and heads of shadow puppeteers are carved separately and composed of lines, so they can move freely when performing. A shadow puppet actor needs five bamboo sticks to manipulate, and the artist's fingers are flexible, which often dazzles the audience. You should not only have excellent skills in your hands, but also speak, read, play and sing in your mouth, and brake gongs and drums at your feet. The screen of shadow play is a piece of white gauze with the size of 1 square meter. The white yarn becomes crisp and bright after being polished by fish oil. During the performance, the shadow play moves close to the screen, and the characters and colorful colors are really moving. Shadow play is popular because of its small props, convenient performance, no venue restrictions and no formal training for actors. In areas where shadow play is popular, people will affectionately call it the art of "picking a burden".

China's calligraphy, seal cutting, Chinese knots, Peking Opera masks, shadow puppets, imitation terracotta warriors and horses, peach blossom fans, cloisonne, jade carvings, China lacquerware, red lanterns (palace lanterns, gauze lanterns), Four Treasures of the Study, paper-cutting, kites, dragon and phoenix patterns (gluttonous patterns, wishful patterns, thunder patterns, palindromes, stripes) and auspicious clouds patterns. Old tiger head shoes, cheongsam, Chinese-style chest covering, clay figurine dough figurine, bronze mirror, hookah, snuff bottle, bird cage, longevity lock, sculpture, Melaleuca, embroidery, silk, clay figurine, sugar man, pigeon whistle, hair embroidery, fabric, micro sculpture, finger painting, embroidered insole, embroidered pillow, purse, sachet, etc.