Chinese Craftsmanship

This book will lead readers into the long corridor of history， which describes China through craftsmanship and seeks the beauty of Chinese civilization created by fingertips. Readers will learn more than 150 process details from 22 ancient crafts， understand the aesthetic essence and ultimate romance in Chinese traditional culture， learn from the life experiences of 24 craftsmen， and feel the spiritual core and life attitude that are unique to the Chinese people.

Paper Cuts

Li Wuwang

Li Wuwang is the founder of Cicada Modern Culture Company， a producer and chief director of cultural programs， and is committed to digital innovation， activation， and operation of Chinese traditional culture. In the past seven years， he has visited many places and visited more than 300 craftsmen. Through heart-to-heart talks with craftsmen， he sought the inheritance of craftsmanship and life crafts.

Chinese Craftsmanship

Authored by Li Wuwang

Beijing United Publishing Co.， Ltd.

CNTIME

July 2022

98.00 （CNY）

The outbreak of the An Shi Rebellion brought numerous hardships to Du Fu， who was displaced. Taking his family members， Du Fu escaped all the way northwards. He could see neither people nor food， just desolation everywhere. When his child was starved， he could only cover her mouth with his hand in case her cry attracted tigers and wolves nearby. Du Fu’s family had no chance to take a break until he met his old friend in Zhoujiawa. His good friend accommodated them， gave them food， consoled and encouraged them， and even “called spirits through paper cuts.” This seems to be a folk custom， which means cutting paper figures for the frightened and calling spirits to calm them down. Du Fu’s poem Ballad of Pengya Road， written after this to give thanks to his good friend， has been the earliest known record of a paper cut.

Of course， paper cuts had been prevalent long before Du Fu， but they had different names. In the Shang Dynasty， people carved and cut thin gold foil and silk and made them into things like paper cuts. In the early years of the Zhou Dynasty， King Cheng of Zhou cut a Paulownia leaf into the shape of a jade tablet and titled his younger brother a prince when they were playing games. This is regarded as the earliest paper cutting. However， this story cannot be verified because it was questioned by many scholars.

Paper cuts should be cut out of paper by scissors. Among the unearthed cultural relics， the earliest scissors were the iron scissors of the Han Dynasty unearthed from the gold pit in Guangzhou， and the earliest paper was hemp paper in the Western Han Dynasty. Paper was not widely used until it was improved by Cai Lun. “Cutting” seemed more delicate than carving. Paper was used instead of gold foil to reduce cost. Thus， paper cutting became a widely spread folk custom.

According to Li Shangyin’s line， “Paper cutting is so popular. It carries forward the style of the Jin Dynasty.” Paper cutting emerged in the Wei， Jin， Northern and Southern Dynasties. This was also the era when paper gradually took the place of bamboo slips. The Jin Dynasty attached great importance to the Human Day， which falls on the seventh day of the first lunar month. It was the day when Nu Wa made man. At that time， people cut ribbons or gold coils into the shape of man， and wore them on their hair. The “ribbons” might be made of silk. The custom of cutting ribbons was also found in other festivals， such as cutting swallows at the Beginning of Spring， cutting tigers during the Dragon Boat Festival， and cutting Buddha flowers to decorate auditoria on the Obon Festival. The use of hell money also started during the Northern and Southern Dynasties， when copper cash was scarce， and cremation was introduced in Buddhism. It was said that Emperor Fei of the Southern Qi Dynasty loved ghosts and “cut paper into money.”

The earliest physical proof of paper cutting originated in the Tang Dynasty. From the ancient tombs in Astana， Xinjiang， Siamese paper twins and round flowers were unearthed， which seemed to have been used for evocation. This is similar to the story of Du Fu. There are also paper cuts related to Buddhism in Mogao Grottoes. In this era， hell money was used in official shrines and folk streets due to the prime minister’s promotion. The custom of cutting Chinese bean tree leaves at the Beginning of Autumn was formed gradually and became prevalent in the Song， Ming and Qing dynasties. Men and women would cut Chinese bean tree leaves， petals， and Chinese photinia leaves into various patterns and wear them on their heads.

In the late Tang and the Song dynasties， Jizhou Kiln created porcelain with paper cuts patterns. That is to say， the porcelain was engraved with paper cuts patterns. After the Song Dynasty， paper cutting embraced its peak time. There were a variety of patterns： New Year banners， Spring Festival banners， Spring Festival flowers， and exquisite headwear. Riding figures， the smart girl in the boudoir， the Three Kingdoms， and the competition between Chu and Han， were all depicted through paper cuts. At the same time， there were craftsmen who specialized in paper cutting. They often gathered on Heaven Street in the capital and made various paper cuttings. A craftsman called Yu Jingzhi could make paper cuts of famous calligraphy. Then， a boy could even cut words and flowers with his hands and scissors working in his sleeves. The craft was as excellent as acrobatics.

In the Yuan Dynasty， there was a paper cut in the shape of a woman called Sunny Lady. She had a broom in her hands and was hung under the eaves to pray for sunny days. Japan’s Sunny Doll evolved from China’s Sunny Lady. In the Ming Dynasty， the coloring technique was mature， and all parts of paper cuts could be dyed. Thus， people improved Sunny Lady and colored her dress. In the Qing Dynasty， paper cutting developed among nobles， literati and civilians. Manchu had its own paper cutting custom. After it was introduced into the imperial palace， paper cutting became more popular. Poetic paper cuts were also prosperous， and literati copied ancient paintings and calligraphy in the form of paper cutting. In addition， paper cuts of life and folk styles， such as The Joy， were also prevalent.

In ancient times， paper cuts not only acted as decorations but also implied certain cultural meanings. In religion， the paper was often cut into butterflies or cranes， which were blown away with gentle breath or spit with water. Taoist priests also chopped paper with swords to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. Folk novels even often wrote that people with evil thoughts made paper figures and cursed those they hated. Paper cuts were also used in medicine. Li Shizhen wrote about croton paper， which was pasted between the eyebrows when kids had diarrhea. This might be remained by witch doctors in early times， but it played a comforting role in practice.

As modern commercial ports were opened in the late Qing Dynasty， paper-cutting craftsmen walked out of their workshops to make a living in larger places. They integrated paper cutting into newspapers， posters and greeting cards. Around the founding of New China， the government vigorously collected paper cuts， gathered paper cutting craftsmen who scattered everywhere， and organized cooperatives. The cartoon makers in the early years were even inspired by paper cutting and created many new works， from Zhu Bajie Ate Watermelons in the 1950s to The Wronged Cattle in the late 1980s， and even including ink paper cutting cartoons like Panda Department Store. In recent years， however， paper cutting has declined. Craftsmen in the early years have withdrawn from the stage， while there are not enough newcomers to carry it forward. We wonder when the next golden age of paper cutting will come.