The Art of Paper
Chen Zijiang is a paper-cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art.
Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.
"It is a Chinese folk art with a long history," Mr Chen told me,"Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs which date back to the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasty!" He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty,paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life."A young farmer who wanted a wife would look at a young woman's paper-cutting skills before marrying her!" explained Mr Chen,laughing at the look of surprise
on my face.
Mr Chen went on to explain that there are three types of paper cuts which people still make
today:paper cuts for decoration,for religious purposes and for design patterns.Paper cuts used for decoration are often seen on windows and gates.
They are usually put up during holidays to bring good luck.They are also used on presents.A present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children,for example.Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.
Paper cuts used for religious purposes are often found in temples.They are also used as
offerings to the dead.People to whom the dead person was related would make these offerings on special days and during festivals.
The third kind of paper cuts are those used to make patterns on clothing.They are also sometimes used to decorate jewellery boxes.Dragons are very popular patterns for these
designs.The interview was very useful as I got a lot of interesting information for my article.I was also ready to try out papercutting for myself."See you next week," I said as I waved goodbye to Mr Chen.I was going to meet him again so that he could help me make my first paper cut!