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Paper-cutting is one of the most popular folk arts in China, dating back to the 6th century AD according to archaeology, but it is thought to have begun hundreds of years earlier. Paper cutting is often used in religious ceremonies, decoration and modeling arts.

In the past, paper was often used to make images of objects and people in various shapes and forms, and was burned with the dead at burials or funerals, a custom that can still be seen sometimes outside China. The art of paper-cutting is generally symbolic and is part of this ritual; paper-cutting is also used as a decoration for offerings to ancestors and gods.

Nowadays, paper cuttings are more often used for decoration. They can be used to decorate walls, doors, windows, pillars, mirrors, lamps, lanterns, etc. They can also be used to embellish gifts, and even the paper cuttings themselves can be given as gifts. In the past, people often used paper-cutting as a model for embroidery and spray-painting art.

Paper cuttings are made by hand, not by machine, and there are two common methods: scissors cut and knife cut. As the name suggests, scissors shears are made with the help of scissors. After cutting, several sheets (usually not more than eight) of paper are glued together, and then the pattern is processed with sharp scissors. Knife-cutting consists of folding the paper into several stacks, placing it on a loose mixture of ash and animal fat, and then slowly carving it with a knife. Paper cutters usually hold their knives vertically and work the paper into a pattern according to a model. One of the advantages of scissors over paper cutters is that they can be used to create multiple paper-cutting patterns at once.

In the countryside, paper-cutting is usually done by women and girls. In the past, this was a craft that every girl had to master, and it was also a standard by which brides were judged. The professional paper-cutters were often men, because only men could work together in the workshop and earn money.