The Significance of Traditional Handmade Craft in China

China's paper-cutting originated in the Western Han Dynasty. At that time, people used hemp fiber to make paper. It is said that after the death of Li, the favorite princess of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu missed it so much that he asked the warlock to cut the image of Li with hemp paper, which was probably the earliest paper-cutting. In A.D. 105, Cai Lun improved and popularized the previous experience, and began to make a lot of paper. This form of carving gave birth to the art of paper-cutting because it found more popular materials. Paper-cutting was quite popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it was widely spread all over the country after the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Especially in rural areas, people use paper-cutting to express auspicious wishes. When getting married during the Spring Festival, various paper-cuts with auspicious meanings are pasted on the panes to create a festive and peaceful atmosphere. In some places, paper-cutting was once a handicraft art that every girl had to master, and it was also a standard for people to judge brides. The ancient paper-cutting used scissors as the main method, which was interesting and simple. Later, in order to save labor, paper-cutting artists changed to carving with knives, and their styles became exquisite. The works are based on local customs and contain a strong local flavor. In China, paper-cutting has a broad mass base and is integrated into the social life of people of all ethnic groups. It is an important part of various folk activities. It inherits the continuous visual image and modeling format, contains rich cultural and historical information, expresses the social identity, moral concept, practical experience, life ideal and aesthetic taste of the general public, and has multiple social values such as cognition, education, expression, lyricism, entertainment and communication.