How to read paper-cut English

How to look at paper-cutting English: paper-cutting.

Paper-cutting is introduced as follows:

Paper-cutting, also known as paper carving, is one of the oldest folk arts in China. Paper-cutting is a kind of hollow art, which gives people a sense of emptiness and artistic enjoyment visually. The art of creating with paper as the processing object and scissors (or carving knife) as the tool.

Paper-cutting is widely circulated among the people and has a long history. As a traditional folk art in China, it occupies an important position in folk activities. Professional folk paper-cutting artists appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty. Folk paper-cutting often refines and summarizes natural forms through homophonic, symbolic and moral means, forming beautiful patterns.

The main material of paper-cutting is paper. Paper is one of China's four great inventions. It has always been recognized that papermaking was invented by Cai Lun around 105. Later, paper from the Western Han Dynasty was unearthed in Fufeng County, Shaanxi Province. Experts believe that China's paper appeared before Emperor Han Ping, probably during the Xuan Di period (73 BC-49 BC).

No matter what the final conclusion is, there will be no real paper-cutting before the invention of paper. When other thin materials are used to cut and carve flowers, paper-cutting is a hollow art, which is the most popular folk art before the appearance of paper, giving people a kind of empty inspiration and artistic enjoyment visually. Its carrier can be paper, gold foil, silver foil, bark, leaves, cloth, leather and other sheet materials.

Gold ornaments of the Jin Dynasty unearthed in Huangniqi, Changsha, Hunan. Although these decorations hollowed out with silver foil can't be said to be paper-cut, they can be said to have formed the predecessor of paper-cut art in carving technology and artistic style.

The paper was cut into beautiful patterns. At present, the earliest and well-documented discovery is near the Flame Mountain in Turpan, Xinjiang. Five paper-cuts with flowers in groups have been unearthed successively: horse flowers in the southern and northern dynasties, monkey flowers in the southern and northern dynasties, gold and silver flowers in the southern and northern dynasties, chrysanthemum flowers in the southern and northern dynasties, and octagonal flowers in the southern and northern dynasties.

From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, a kind of gold and silver inlay technology was developed. The carved gold and silver foil was stuck on the back of lacquerware or bronze mirror, and after filling and polishing, golden patterns appeared on the paint layer. Hua Niaowen Gold and Silver Mirror (36.2 cm in diameter) unearthed in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.