This folk art with a history of thousands of years is paper-cutting, but now it seems to be becoming more and more distant from our lives.
I recall that when I was a child, every time during the holidays, there would be red and green window grilles cut by my grandma on the windows of my home. Among them were the patterns of magpies climbing plum blossoms, and the style of having more than one year after year. It looked festive.
However, nowadays, those exquisite and beautiful window grilles are gradually being replaced by plastic stickers and machine printing, and this ancient craft is slowly fading from our sight.
I have never experienced paper-cutting in person before, but this opportunity came to me not long ago. Within the square inch of red paper, I can truly understand the wisdom and complexity contained in it.
The history of paper-cutting is older than we think
Many people think that paper-cutting is the kind of decoration that is pasted on windows during the New Year and festivals. In fact, its history is much longer than we think.
According to archaeological discoveries, the origin of paper-cutting can be traced back to 1600 to 1100 BC. At that time, although paper did not exist, people were already cutting and carving various patterns on leaves, leather, and gold and silver foil.
After paper was invented, paper-cutting actually entered many families and became the folk art form closest to people's lives.
The reason why it spread all over the country very quickly is because it is made of cheap materials and only requires a pair of scissors and a piece of paper. Anyone can do it, and the effect is immediate.
There are still different styles existing in different places. The rough and bold paper-cutting belongs to the north, while the delicate and exquisite paper-cutting belongs to the south. Each has its own unique flavor.
It seems simple, but there is a lot of emphasis inside
Don't underestimate this piece of red paper, the technique of paper-cutting is a skill.
The teacher told us that paper-cutting is mainly divided into inscribed and Yang carving Two kinds.
Yang engraving retains the lines and cuts out the blank spaces, so that the pattern appears rough and powerful. Inverted engraving is just the opposite, cutting off the lines and leaving large blocks of color, so it looks thicker.
These two methods are often used in combination, so that the characters cut out will be vivid and lifelike, the flowers and plants cut out will be lifelike and lifelike, and the animals cut out will be lifelike and lifelike.
I also heard that if you want to learn paper-cutting well, you must first master the basic skills of painting.
At first, I didn’t believe it, but then I personally cut out the word “hi”, but because the direction was reversed when I was drawing the picture, the cut out looked chubby and completely changed.
Afterwards, the teacher showed me their school's works, including "Christmas Music", "Harvest", "Flower Dance", etc. These were all carefully crafted by teachers and students, and they have won many awards.
Looking at those works, I realized that this was not just casual cutting, it was clearly a craft.
The story behind a paper-cut fascinates me
Once, I saw a paper-cut, which showed a little Mongolian girl, surrounded by flowers, grass, cattle and sheep. As I stared at it, my thoughts drifted into the distance.
I seemed to see a little girl named Knowledge. She was smart and kind, and everyone in the village loved her.
One day, she was kidnapped by a little demon in the Smurf Cave, suffered a lot of torture, and finally passed away.
Later, God spread her wisdom to the world, allowing everyone to have the seeds of knowledge in their hearts.
I know this is my personal imagination, but paper-cutting is like this. It is not just a pattern, it can make you think of various stories and feel the warmth.
It does not appear to be in a superior state. I think this is the charm of folk art. It is connected to everyone's life and emotions.
Can our generation still take up this craft?
On my study tour, I met an inheritor of paper-cutting.
Wearing a black coat, he held a piece of red paper and cut out a lifelike butterfly in just a few strokes.
Later, I folded it by 50%, and the cut out pattern was even more amazing.
What impressed me most was not the excellent results of his cutting, but the concentration and contentment he showed during the entire cutting process.
He said that fewer and fewer young people are willing to learn paper-cutting.
I felt quite uncomfortable after hearing this.
Our generation is accustomed to using mobile phones and playing games, and we really have too little understanding of old crafts.
Sometimes, when I see paper-cuts being sold on the street, I think they are just small items to amuse children. I have never thought about the fact that there is so much history and culture behind them.
In fact, paper-cutting is not the only art form that belongs to folk crafts, such as shadow puppets, sugar figures, and woolly monkeys. They are all precious treasures passed down by our ancestors, waiting for someone to catch them steadily and continue them.
Paper-cutting seems to be just a matter of cutting and carving, but it actually carries more than a thousand years of life memories and folk wisdom.
This skill does not require extremely expensive materials, just a pair of scissors and a piece of red paper. Anyone can learn it as long as they are willing to work hard.
After this experience, I also came up with the idea of continuing to learn, not to become a master, but just because I felt that it would be a pity if such excellent things disappeared in our generation.
Next time there is a festival, I plan to cut out some window grilles myself and stick them on the windows. The cut shapes may be crooked, but the red color they show is warm and full of a strong smell of fireworks.
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