Folklore Overview of Paper Cutting in Shandong

Paper cutting, Shandong different names, respectively known as window, window dyeing flowers, flowers, etc., the production process is called hinge flowers, key flowers. According to the folk function, Shandong folk paper-cutting can be divided into three categories: festival paper-cutting, ritual ceremonial paper-cutting, daily paper-cutting. The subject matter of Shandong folk paper-cutting is very wide, it not only shows the masses of pleasant things, but also reflects his (her) desire for a better life, there are text patterns, birds and animals, fish and insects, flowers, fruits and vegetables, landscapes, folklore, opera characters, historical stories, religion and folk sentiment and so on.

Shandong paper-cutting can be roughly divided into two categories from the modeling style. One is the rough and bold style of the Bohai Bay region, which is inherited from the paper-cutting of other provinces in the Yellow River basin. One is more characteristic of the coastal areas of Shandong Jiaodong line-based, line and surface combination of delicate type of paper-cutting, which seems to be the same as the Shandong Han Dynasty portrait stone carving style of fine and elaborate, with its pattern of dense decorative means, so that the simple and crisp appearance of a fuller and richer.

Shandong Jiaodong called the handful of women as "trick people", "trick people" no matter in which village, is a matter of pride. Their flower look often smoked with fireworks in the earth paper circulated everywhere, become near and far the countryside cut flower look. The windows of Jiaodong are mostly long and thin lattice, generally can only paste some small flowers, women develop their own creativity, the use of the whole to zero method to divide the large composition into strips cut out, and then pasted to the window combined into a complete picture. This paper-cutting, known as "window koshi," is usually attached to the "window center. There are also "window corner flowers," "window side flowers," and "cockerel flowers," which are hung in front of the window and are used for events, constituting a series of "latticework culture. The "latticework culture" is a series of "latticework culture". The paper-cutting is also used for the decoration of walls and roofs, and for the appliqués of utensils, in accordance with the festive arrangements of the living room.

Jiao Dong, is one of the main representative areas of Shandong folk paper-cutting. West of Yantai Penglai, Longkou, Laizhou (formerly known as Peng, Huang, tucked) of the paper-cutting, with delicate lines, small and delicate, delicate and colorful. The paper-cutting of Rongcheng, Wendeng, and Lushan under the jurisdiction of Weihai City today is famous for its exaggerated and generous, thick and simple, and the fine cleanliness in the roughness. The paper-cutting circulating in Gaomi area is decorated with paper-cutting from the doors, windows and roofs of farmhouses to the cabinets and closets. The production is generally not drafted and put cut straight down, characterized by a combination of commonly used jagged lines and upright lines to form an image. Shandong's paper-cutting has developed from ancient times to the present day, showing more and more of its unique aesthetic function, therefore, the folk "trickster" also pays more attention to the skillfulness of the technique, often calling people to feel a kind of mortal hard to reach the wonderful feeling. The illustration of the windowpane "gold and jade" due to the limitations of the window pane, divided into four parts, with the "goldfish" harmonic "gold and jade", six goldfish in different forms, vivid and incomparable.

In the creation of the conception of the general use of symbols and allegorical techniques, so that the work has a beautiful visual enjoyment, but also has a rich imagination. For example, the peach symbolizes "longevity", the pomegranate symbolizes "many children", and the mandarin duck symbolizes "love". Harmonization is also common in paper-cutting. For example, lotus and carp symbolize "good fortune", and magpies and plum blossoms symbolize "happiness", etc. These themes and expression methods are also common in paper-cutting. These themes and expressions, in the vast countryside by generations of folk artists inheritance, refinement, modification, the creation of a large number of rigorous composition, beautiful modeling, elegant traditional paper-cutting boutique.