Chinese Paper-Cuts are an important handicraft produced for the Chinese Spring Festival.
They originated in the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. Later, they were used during festivals to decorate gates and windows. After hundreds of years of development, they have become a very popular means of decoration among country folk, especially women.
The main cutting tools and materials are simplistic: paper and scissors or an engraving knife, but clever and deft craftspeople are remarkably good at making cuttings themed around images found in everyday life. When you look paper cuttings close up,, you will be amazed by the true to life expressions of the figures and their realistic appearance, or by the portrayal of natural themes such as a diversity of plants and animals. Patterns of chrysanthemum flowers display curling petals, pied magpies show tiny, detailed feathers. Other paper-cuts, depict scenes from people’s lives such as a married daughter returning to her parents' home, or young people paying a New Year call to their grandparents.
Although other art forms, like painting, can also show similar scenes, paper cutting still stands out for its charm - exacting lines and ingenious patterns which are all hand-made. To make the three-dimensional scenes stand out from monochrome paper designs, engravers must push the limits of their imagination. They must discount secondary features and compose the main body properly, abstractly and boldly. Though simple, the color of the paper-cut then appears charmingly bright.
It is easy to learn about cutting a piece of paper but very difficult to master it to perfection. One must grasp the knife in an upright fashion and press evenly on the paper with some strength. Flexibility is required but any hesitation or wiggling will lead to imprecision or damage the whole image. Engravers stress the cutting lines in several styles. They attempt to carve a circle like the moon, a straight line like a stem of wheat, a square like a brick, and jagged lines like a beard.
People find hope and comfort in expressing wishes with paper cuttings. For example: for a wedding ceremony, red paper cuttings are a traditional and required decoration of the tea set, the dressing table glass, and on other furniture. A big red paper character 'Xi' (happiness) is a traditional must on a newlywed couple's door. Upon the birthday party of a senior, the character 'Shou' represents longevity and will add delight to the whole celebration; while a pattern of plump children cuddling fish signifies that every year there will be an abundance of wealth.
