What are the connections and differences between paper-cutting, New Year pictures and shadow play?

1. Paper-cutting is one of the most popular traditional folk decorative arts in China with a long history. Because of its easy materials, low cost, obvious effect, wide adaptability, diverse styles and vivid images, it is widely popular. Because it is most suitable for rural women's leisure production, it can be used as a practical object and beautify their lives. Paper-cutting can be seen all over the country, and even formed different local styles. Paper-cutting not only shows the aesthetic taste of the public, but also contains the deep social psychology of the nation. It is also one of the most distinctive folk arts in China, and its modeling features are particularly worth studying. As the embodiment of China's original philosophy, folk paper-cutting has the characteristics of comprehensiveness, beautification and auspiciousness. At the same time, folk paper-cutting conveys the connotation and essence of traditional culture with its own specific expression language.

2. New Year pictures, a kind of Chinese paintings. The "Door God Painting", officially called New Year Painting, which began in Guangxu period of the ancient Qing Dynasty, is a unique painting genre in China and an art form loved by rural people in China. Mostly used for posting in the New Year, decorating the environment, with the meaning of wishing the New Year auspicious and festive, hence the name. Traditional folk New Year pictures are mostly made of wood watermarks. The main producing areas are Yangliuqing in Tianjin, Taohuawu in Suzhou and Weifang in Shandong. There are "Moon Brand" New Year pictures in Shanghai, as well as in Sichuan, Fujian, Shanxi, Hebei and even Zhejiang. The old version of New Year pictures has different names because of different frame sizes and processing methods. The whole painting is called "Palace Tip", three pieces of paper are called "Three Talents" and many detailed processes are called "Painting Palace Tip" and "Painting Three Talents". The colors of gold powder coating are called "Golden Palace Tip" and "Golden Tricks". Products before June are called "green edition", and products after July and August are called "autumn edition".

Shadow play is a kind of folk drama, which uses lights to illuminate the silhouette of people made of animal skin or cardboard to perform stories. In the performance, the artists manipulated the opera characters behind the white curtain, sang stories with local popular tunes, and matched them with percussion instruments and strings, which had a strong local flavor. In rural Henan, this simple folk art form is very popular with people.