What are the different styles of paper cutting?

Paper-cutting, also known as flower scissors, window grilles and paper engraving, is a folk craft with a long history of the Chinese nation, which was recorded as early as Sima Qian's Historical Records in the Western Han Dynasty. During the Han and Jin dynasties, folk women used gold and silver foil and colored silks to cut flowers and birds into squares and stick them on their temples as ornaments. There are many poems about paper-cutting in Tang poetry. Li Da's poem "Picking" said: "Picking gives a blind date, and a silver hairpin makes up a phoenix." In the Song Dynasty, paper-cutting became more popular. At this time, there were professional artists and special paper-cutting handicrafts. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, paper-cutting was widely used as window and group flowers among the people, symbolizing good luck and happiness. In addition, it also makes shoes, pillows, umbrellas, wedding flowers on the toilet mirror, towel flowers on the back of young female babies and edge decorations on ceramic utensils.

Up to now, there are many kinds of paper-cutting art, including black-and-white paper-cutting, color matching paper-cutting, color separation paper-cutting and golden carving color lining. As far as creators and performance content are concerned, it can be divided into two systems, one is traditional folk paper-cutting and the other is new paper-cutting with new themes. Except for a few professional paper-cutting artists, the authors of folk paper-cutting are mostly ingenious rural women. They choose themes from their daily lives, such as flowers and birds, melons and fruits, insects and fish, folk stories, historical figures, drama masks and auspicious patterns, which are full of life interest. Folk paper-cutting is light realism, heavy spirit likeness, simple structure and distinctive style. On the basis of traditional folk paper-cutting, the new paper-cutting draws lessons from the techniques of Chinese painting and western painting. The lines are straight and smooth, and the colors are bright and bright, which not only contains traditional meaning, but also shines with modern light, and has unique artistic charm.

China's paper-cutting art has national characteristics, and the most popular places are: Yuxian in Hebei, Lingbao in Henan, Fushan County in Shanxi, Jingle County, Qianyang in Shaanxi and Penglai in Shandong; There are Foshan in Guangdong, Pixian in Jiangsu and Zhangzhou in Fujian in the south. Different nationalities have different paper-cutting styles, and their paper-cutting works are rich and colorful. Shaanxi paper-cut, rough and unrestrained; Hebei paper-cut, good at stippling; Paper-cutting in Shanxi and Shandong is simple and heavy; Guangdong paper-cutting, make good use of gold paper to set off; Jiangsu paper-cutting, fine cutting; Zhejiang paper-cut is good at decorative patterns; Fujian paper-cut has a natural shape. Paper-cutting art has directly influenced many plastic arts in China, such as "paste paper" used in funerals, props, stickers, straw paintings and peasant paintings in shadow play, which can be said to be the extension and development of paper-cutting art ... Paper-cutting art is deeply loved by the people of China, and it is a treasure in China folk art and also a treasure in the world art treasure house.

He' nan Lingbao paper-cut

Every year after the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, girls and daughters-in-law "put down their hoes and put them on the kang, pick up scissors to cut the tiger's head" and start paper-cutting to decorate the house. Window grilles, flowers on the ceiling, notes on the door, etc. The one who decorated the farmhouse should be cut down before the new year. "Twenty-eight, decal", the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month is a regular day to put up New Year pictures and stick grilles. Those paper-cuts that celebrate the bumper harvest, the prosperity of six livestock, long life and good luck reflect the hope of farmers and make the simple farmhouse look brand-new, which not only renders the grand and lively holiday atmosphere, but also urges the owners to be beaming and refreshed.

On the first day of the first month, villagers swarmed in, calling friends and calling New Year greetings. Of course, appreciating paper-cutting with window grilles is also a part of New Year's greetings. Everyone pointed and talked, and the girls and daughters-in-law laughed and teased. If someone's paper-cut is praised by his neighbors, the author of paper-cut will feel extremely honored.

Paper-cutting should be done during the Spring Festival, and so should other festivals. In lingbao city, Henan Province, after the fifteenth day of the first month, people will cut a golden bull with yellow watch paper and stick it on the gate to remind people that they are about to start plowing, take care of the bull and prepare for spring ploughing. Others say it is to drive away evil spirits and diseases. According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, when Lao Zi wrote the Tao Te Ching in Yin's residence in Hanguguan, a plague occurred near Hanguguan, and people's lives were at stake. One day, Lao Tzu's green cow spit out a big meat ball, and the locals took it back to their hometown. As a result, meatballs drove away the plague and surrounded people. Everyone says that Laozi's cow is a magical cow, which has the function of ward off evil spirits. Because plagues are often prevalent in spring, people cut a golden bull with yellow watch paper after the fifteenth day of the first month and put it on the gate. There is a paper tape hanging under Taurus, and four sentences are written on the paper tape with cinnabar:

On the 23rd day of the first month of the Spring Festival, the old man tried the elixir of life.

Stick a golden bull on each door to keep you safe all year round.

On the second day of February, Dragon Head Lift Festival, Ghost Festival on the fifth day of May, Ghost Festival on the fifteenth day of July, and Kitchen God Festival on the 23rd of December, women also use paper-cutting to express their wishes. Besides paper-cutting, there are some interesting folk songs widely sung among the people. Popular folk songs about cutting fans at six o'clock in June are:

On June 6th, I was sweating like a pig. I cut a fan and inserted it into the grave.

The younger generation should be filial, and the deceased should be like a husband.

These songs, which are closely related to paper-cutting and folk customs, make paper-cutting full of poetic and interesting songs and dances.

In western Henan, paper-cutting is a special dowry for girls when they get married. On the first day of the wedding, the bride will give the prepared paper-cut to her husband's family. Three days after returning home, the bride will also cut paper for her husband's relatives and neighbors. People will judge whether the bride is smart according to these paper cuts. Therefore, it is very important for girls to prepare paper-cutting before getting married.

People in China like red, which is an auspicious color for wedding gifts. Therefore, fireworks such as wedding ceiling flowers, window grilles, wedding flowers, dowry flowers, etc. are often cut with red paper, and they are all cut in whole pieces, without shredding paper. People think that the scattered fireworks are ominous, and it is difficult for the bride and groom to grow old together. Therefore, people use continuous palindromes to cut out works such as magpie climbing plum blossoms, mandarin ducks playing in water, years of surplus, double happiness, couples singing and so on. Express the good wishes of the couple for a hundred years.

Jiangsu Yangzhou paper-cut

Yangzhou is one of the earliest areas where paper-cutting prevailed in China with a long history. Yang Di visited Yangzhou three times to build palaces and other courtyards. Every winter, the flowers and trees in the garden wither and the water in the pool freezes. Emperor Yang Di ordered ladies-in-waiting to imitate folk paper-cutting, cut colorful brocade into flowers and leaves, adorn branches, hang them on trees, cut them into lotus flowers and other things at the same time, and take out the ice cubes in the pool and put them on the water one by one. This is like the gorgeous scenery at the turn of spring and summer, which makes people feel relaxed and happy. In the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou had the custom of paper-cutting to welcome the Spring. On this day in beginning of spring, folk paper-cut is a flower, and it is also cut into butterflies, money and victory in spring, or hung on the top of a beautiful woman's head or decorated under a flower, which is also very enjoyable to watch. Paper-cutting also has some special uses, such as folk paper-cutting people, paper horses and paper money, which are used to pay homage to ghosts and gods. Du Fu, a great poet, wrote the poem "Warm soup is enough for me, paper-cutting is my soul", which means this. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou paper-cut strengthened its decoration, combining appreciation with practicality. It is not only used for the decoration of women and children, but also as the bottom sample for embroidery, cutting shoes, pillows, tablecloths and sheets. It is also used as folk decoration, such as New Year's Day pattern, festive pattern, front door flower decoration, lantern flower, dragon boat flower, fighting fragrant flower and so on. Folk paper-cutting artists rely on a pair of scissors and a few pieces of colored paper, which are ever-changing and have diverse meanings, and cut out patterns symbolizing good luck, longevity, wealth and happiness. Until the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, there were still many folk artists in Yangzhou who made a living by cutting paper.

At present, there are more than 1000 kinds of Yangzhou paper-cuts, which are sold to dozens of countries and regions, making contributions to cultural and artistic exchanges at home and abroad.

Guangdong Foshan paper-cut

Originated in the Song Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Since the Ming Dynasty, Foshan paper-cut has been produced in large quantities by professional workshops, and the products are sold to China's south-central and southwest provinces, and exported to Southeast Asian countries.

Foshan paper-cut can be divided into three categories according to its raw materials and methods: copper lining, paper lining, copper writing, silver writing, woodcut overprint, copper chisel and solid color. Using local specialty copper foil and silver foil, using cutting, engraving, chiseling and other techniques, lining with various colored paper, printing various patterns, forming colorful, resplendent and full of southern characteristics paper-cutting. Foshan paper-cut not only has exquisite and elegant characteristics, but also has vigorous expression techniques. It chooses materials and expresses art according to its use.

Fujian paper-cutting

Paper-cutting in different parts of Fujian has different special certificates: Nanping, Hua 'an and other places in mountainous areas have the most works depicting tits and livestock, which are rough and powerful, simple and simple; In the coastal areas of southern Fujian and Zhangpu, the images of aquatic animals are often seen, with delicate and lifelike shapes; Putian and Xianyou are mainly gift flowers, which tend to be gorgeous and exquisite.

Paper-cutting has a wide range of functions: it is used as a sample of window grilles, snuff, ceremonial flowers and embroidery for New Year's festivals; Also suitable for furniture; Copy the work of this lacquer painting master.

The most distinctive style should be the gift flowers in Putian. Happy birthday, happy birthday, sacrifice to gods, ghosts and ancestors, whether it is a gift or a confession, or a thin or thick gift, you should stick bright red paper-cut flowers. Even pig's head, pig's foot, pig's belly and chicken's feet are the same. There is a saying in China that "courtesy is light and affection is heavy". Gifts are expressions of affection, and flowers on gifts can better reflect the cohesion of affection in interpersonal communication.

Shaanxi paper-cutting

Shaanxi paper-cut is called "living fossil" by folklore experts. Because it completely follows the ancient patterns of the Chinese nation, such as the face of a fish, the head of a lion, similar "catching a steamed bun doll" and "Niu Geng map" similar to the portrait of the Han nationality, and inherits the philosophy of Yin and Yang and the concept of reproductive worship of the Chinese nation.

In Shaanxi paper-cutting art, folk paper-cutting in northern Shaanxi is the first one. Because of the traffic jam and remoteness in this area for nearly a hundred years, it is difficult to inherit foreign culture, and the ancient culture and art have been passed down from generation to generation by peasant women. For example, some paper-cuts inherited the style of stone reliefs in the Han Dynasty, with extremely simple and full outlines, vivid images and rich imagination. For example, the melon seeds dolls posted on the door by farmers during the Spring Festival have their limbs cut off with paper and their heads replaced with melon seeds. Because the authors are all farmers, with a wide range of people and different ages, the themes of paper-cutting are rich and diverse. Vegetables, flowers and trees, grazing textiles, weddings and funerals, and folk customs are the themes of elderly authors. Guanzhong paper-cut is widely loved by people because of its beautiful shape, exquisiteness and vividness. The number of paper-cuts in southern Shaanxi is small, but it is famous for its implicit exaggeration and meticulous concealment of true feelings.