Paper-cut ---- Chinese Traditional Culture

helene (72)in #life • 7 years ago

Speaking of paper-cut, as everybody knows, it is traditional fork art with long history in China ,from ancient to now, enduring.
In modern times, at every festival and at New Year，many people still retains the custom of pasting paper-cut, especially in the north.
Paper-cut art is far-reaching , originated in China, so what is the origin of the paper-cut of Chinese traditional culture and the history of paper cutting ?
Let's look at it .

Paper-cut art is one of the most popular folk art in China, according to the discovery of archaeology ,it can be traced back to as early as the 6th century ago.
The predecessor of the paper-cut art is said to be in the warring states period, but at that time, the paper still did not appear, so paper-cut was not a genuine paper-cut.

About the origin of paper-cut actually began long ago.
At that time people tried to keep a record of events and present content with some graphics ,but the paper still does not appear ,some people only record document on bronze, bamboo slips, skins of animals such as carrier.
And with the emergence of the paper, these creative design began to shift on the paper.
Through such comparison we can see that the origin of the paper-cut is the pattern recorded from the ancients.

The history of paper-cutting art of Chinese traditional culture has its own formation and development process.
As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, people made handicraft on thin materials through the technique of hollowed-out work .

It had become more popular before the emergence of paper ,though it wasn't made of paper , it was the same, it layed the foundation for the true meanningful emergence of paper-cut .It is said that China's earliest paper-cut works can proved it .

And about the history of Chinese traditional cultural paper-cut ,namely the true meanningful paper-cut art, didn't officially begin untill the emergence of the paper.
Main material of paper-cut is paper, while the emergence of the paper in Han Dynasty promoted the paper-cut's emergence ,development and popularization.
At that time the paper was perishable, so people didn't cherish, if it got bad, you can cut one again .

In Northern Dynasties, people cut all sorts of beautiful decorative pattern using paper .it is said that wufu Northern dynasty flower paper-cut is the earliest found in China by now which was found near the volcano's Mount in Turpan XinJiang Province.

In the Song Dynasty, the mature paper industry made the paper-cut art prevalent.
Song Dynasty paper-cutting used in various fields, and in the southern Song Dynasty Period, also appeared as a professional artist.
At that time the shadow play was prevaling ,also shadow play modelling was made of thick paper .
the biggest creation of paper-cut in Song Dynasty is porcelain printing design, it was manufactured when glazing it ,paste paper-cut and baked in kiln .

In Tang Dynasty, paper-cut had a great development .at that time paper-cut design was applied to other processes, and was popular for the customs of paper-cut calling back the spirit of the dead .

In modern times ,archaeology diged out a variety of paper-cut arts and crafts in Tang Dynasty such as paper-cut in Tang Dynasty which is collected in the British Museum, you can see that the craft and the art level of the paper-cut enjoyed a high level of technology ,the integrity of picture composition, expresses the ideal state in heaven.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties ,folk paper-cut art was increasingly mature, had reached the peak.
the folk paper-cut art of application scope were more wide.
Any floriation of civil lantern and ornamentation of the sector, etc., all using paper-cut as a decoration was reprocessed.
Paper-cut, Chinese traditional culture in the Ming and Qing dynasties, however, was more often used as home decoration and beautified home environment.