In Chinese culture paper-cuts symbolize the idea of blessedness, luck and fortune. In the past, paper-cuts were sometimes used for religious purpose, serving as decorations for sacrificial offerings to the ancestors and gods. Nowadays most Chinese families use them as window decorations for entrance gates, windows, walls, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns.
Paper cutting is a traditional art that has evolved throughout the course of Chinese cultural development. Its origin is closely connected with the invention of paper during the Eastern Han dynasty (25 A.D.-221 A.D.). In the days after its inception, paper was extremely precious, as a result, paper cutting was only popular among court ladies in the royal palaces and houses of nobility. During the 7th through 13th centuries, paper cutting was immensely popular among the commoners. By the 15th century, paper cut art works had become an integral part of the everyday life of the people. Paper cutting also became one of the crafts that every girl was to master and that were often used to judge brides. The influence of paper cutting on Europe and Asia can be traced back to the 7th century as well. The art spread to Japan and then to the Middle East and Europe via the Silk Road, thus leading to the creation of many different styles.
The art of paper cutting has remained unfading in China through the ages principally because its devotees used the skills of knife and scissors to dynamically depict splendid Chinese culture and folk festivals in all its many facets. For example in ancient times, social calls by ordinary folk involved giving paper cuts as gifts and using fancy paper cut likenesses for beautiful adornment to signify auspiciousness. Subsequently, mutual emulation and minute study led to a superb level of paper cutting technique. By later generations, paper cutting ranged from clipping complicated patterns using a tiny pair of scissors to often making cutouts into window decorations, clothes-making stencils, or embroidery patterns for shoes.
Most of the papercut artists are women. The themes of their works usually include everything in people's daily life from dumb things to the surroundings. Familiarity makes them understand the real spirit of the art.
The main tool for papercut is scissors. Once they are owned by a master of papercut, they will become so supernatural that the papercuts beyond imagination flow out of his/her hands in the chattering of a common pair of scissors. Another tool for paper cutting is engraving knives which are necessary to enhance a sharpened effect or to make a delicate job.
No doubt that arts come from life and serve life. Papercuts are very popular in the countryside. The bright colors of red, green or light blue papercuts provide a strong foil to set off a merry atmosphere. So they are often found in wedding ceremonies or festivals in China. And people like to decorate their windows and doors using colorful papercuts.
As the art passed down through the generations, the mainstream techniques developed many diverse forms, but the themes of the subject matter primarily remained folk motifs, with two-dimensional illustrations as the primary form. The technique they display consists of a combination of trimming with scissors and carving with a knife. The rendering of their visual appearance involves such methods as applying multiple layers of color, folding symmetrically, individually pasting, and uniquely engraving. These different cutting methods could be said to be quite beautiful, but manifestation of the unique, lively beauty of paper cutting still depends on the artistic mastery of every artisan.
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