The History and Origin of Paper-cutting

The history of paper-cutting can be divided into the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, the Han Dynasty, the Ming and Qing Dynasties and so on. Paper-cutting originated from the activities of ancestor worship and praying for God in ancient times.

The history of paper cutting.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period: People in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period tried to record and present the contents with some graphics. They recorded some materials on bronze wares, bamboo slips, animal skins and other carriers. With the appearance of paper, these patterns began to be recorded on paper. Through the comparison before and after, we can see that the origin of paper-cutting comes from the pattern recording method of our ancestors.

Han Dynasty: The appearance of paper in Han Dynasty promoted the appearance, development and popularization of paper-cutting. Paper-cutting has been in a period of great development in the Tang Dynasty. According to the paper-cut of the Tang Dynasty collected by the British Museum, we can see that the artistic level of paper-cut at that time was extremely high. In Song Dynasty, the paper industry was mature and there were many kinds of paper products, which provided conditions for the popularization of paper-cutting, such as "fireworks", decorative lights and tea cups as folk gifts. Ming and Qing Dynasties: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the art of paper-cutting handicraft matured and reached its peak.

2. The origin of paper cutting.

Chinese paper-cutting originated from the ancient activities of offering sacrifices to ancestors and praying for God, and then rooted in the profound traditional culture of China. Paper-cutting has a history of more than 2,000 years. It condenses the traditional ideas of Chinese culture and interweaves with other arts, conveying ancient civilization. Paper-cut art is an important part of China culture, a microcosm of a nation's moral belief and the inheritance of folk culture.

The content and significance of folk paper-cutting;

Folk paper-cutting is good at combining all kinds of objects and images to produce ideal and beautiful effects. No matter whether one or more image combinations are used, they are modeled by "image implication" and "meaning conformation", rather than by objective natural forms. At the same time, they are also good at using metaphor and combining conventional images to create various mascots to express their psychology. Pursuing auspicious metaphor has become one of the ultimate goals of image combination.

The geographical closure and cultural limitations, as well as the intrusion of adversity such as natural disasters, aroused people's desire for a happy life. People pray for ample food and clothing, prosperity, health and longevity, and all the best. This simple wish is conveyed through paper-cutting.

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Chinese Paper-cutting.