Introduction to Chinese paper cutting

When I first visited China as a tourist I was attracted by the bright red color of the paper cuts sold at the souvenir stalls around Yu Garden. At first I thought it was something to put in a frame and hang on a wall, so I was very surprised to see doors and windows of Chinese houses adorned with them.

Souvenir shop at Yu Garden

The paper cut I bought

I started wondering about the paper cutting`s meaning and origin, and that`s when I came across a charming book titled “Zhao Quan – The Paper-Cut of Yuxian County”, the first volume of the collection “Craftsman”, which features, as the name suggests, famous craftsmen representative of different Chinese folk arts. Composed of five chapters, the book introduces the life of the paper cutting master Zhao Quan, the tools he uses, the process of paper cutting and his works. The book is published only in Chinese unfortunately, but it`s full of inviting pictures that made it accessible even to me with my limited knowledge of Chinese.

The pictures below are some shots of the book.

Before reading this book I thought that the paper cuts come only in red, and feature only auspicious symbols, but actually they can be very colorful and cover nearly all topics, from flowers, birds, animals, legendary people, to figures in classic novels. Paper cut can be found throughout China in various ethnic groups, therefore motifs vary greatly and depend on the region of origin, but generally they are classified in two main genres, the northern style and the southern style, each influenced by their geography and local culture.

As one of the most classic folk arts in China and integral element of everyday life, paper cut was put in 2009 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

It`s difficult to tell the exact period when the art of paper-cutting originated in China. Excavations at the ruins of the ancient city of Gaochang in Turpan, Xinjiang, unearthed paper cuts showing a pair of horses and a pair of monkeys dating back 1500 years to the period of the Northern and Southern dynasties. They are among the earliest examples of cut paper to have been found. 

Actually, the cultural implication and art forms of paper cut can be traced back before the invention of the paper to pre-historical societies, when people used different materials such as gold, leather, silk and even leaves, to carve and engrave patterns.

But as the logic shows, paper cutting needs paper so, strictly speaking, paper cutting origins should be placed after AD 105, the year in which the Chinese invented papermaking (even though recent archaeological investigations place the actual invention of papermaking some 200 years earlier). The early paper cutting was probably associated with religious rites, and only gradually it developed into a form of art. 

As a cultural carrier of the original Chinese philosophy, paper cut is embodied in all aspects of folk custom and culture, and the uses to which it was put were many. The first use was mainly decorative; paper cut were pasted on windows (hence the name Window Flowers), ceilings, doors and lanterns. Another use of paper cuts was related to other folk crafts, as it was used as guide for woodcarvers and embroiderers, and as stencils for transferring color to lacquer ware. The paper cut can be also found during festivities (weddings, birthdays and other ceremonies), or in form of prayers (invoking the rain, warding off the devil, etc.).

Nowadays Chinese paper cuts are still used as decoration, especially during the Spring Festival and wedding days.

There is a paper cut design for each occasion: during the Chinese New Year, the character “Fu” (福, good fortune) is pasted on the door, at a weddings the character “Xi” (囍, double happiness) is a must on the newlywed’s door, and on seniors` birthday paper cuttings with the character “Shou” (寿, longevity) are often seen.

“Fu” (福)

“Xi” (囍)

“Shou” (寿)

Paper cutting is pure handwork, but due to the modern industrial production the traditional sense of paper cutting is facing grave challenges and its values, handed down from generation to generation, are changing. Nowadays unfortunately it became more and more difficult to find authentic handmade paper cutting. 

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to paper cuts! In a different post I will talk about the paper cutting technique and style typical of Yuxian County.

Shadow Magic - Chinese Shadow Puppetry

How many of you watched Kung Fu Panda 2? The movie itself has got nothing to do with Chinese crafts, but the intro, the flashbacks and the credits feature the unique style of Chinese shadow puppetry. I found a video of the end credits on YouTube for those who haven`t watched the movie.

As I already mentioned in my post China`s intangible Cultural Heritage, Chinese shadow puppetry has been inscribed in 2011 on the UNESCO list of List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Yesterday we had an interesting chat with Xu Qi, the apprentice of Wei JinQuan, a famous puppeteer from Huaxian (Shaanxi Province) who together with his troupe have taken Huaxian shadow puppet shows as far as Germany, the UK and France, receiving overwhelming praise.

Wei JinQuan after a performance abroad

Xu Qi, who is learning to make and manipulate the puppets at Wei JinQuan`s workshop, told us about his master and this fascinating art.

Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theater acted by colorful silhouette figures, usually made of donkey, cow or sheep leather, accompanied by music and opera-like singing.  Manipulated by puppeteers using rods, the figures create the illusion of moving images on a translucent cloth screen illuminated from behind. Actually, contrary to what the name suggests, viewed through the white screen the puppets aren`t just shadows, but their color is bright and visible through the screen.

Wei JinQuan removing the fur from some leather

Carving the leather

After coloring the figures are dewatered
to make the colors penetrate in the leather

Performers manipulate puppets, while the other members of the troupe sing the story in an opera-like style, and play accompanying music.

The puppeteer must also memorize the songs and rhythm of more than 50 plays, some of which can last a couple of hours, in order to coordinate the movements of the puppets with the music and singing.  

A full-length play usually involves more than 60 figures, and Wei JinQuan, who is the only one in his troupe to handle the puppets, can manipulate more than 10 puppets at a time. For the troupe’s repertoire he regularly uses 100 puppet bodies onto which he can add around 400 heads of different characters.

 

Wei JinQuan is the leader of Huaxian’s Guang Hua Shadow Play Troupe and comes from a long line of shadow puppet players, his grandfather and father were both part of puppet troupe orchestras. 

The troupe behind the stage

Before the Cultural Revolution, when many puppets were destroyed and troupes dismantled, puppet troupes were very active in Huaxian, playing almost every day and competing with each other to perform at fairs. They used to travel from town to town to perform at weddings, funerals and other important occasions in village life. After the Cultural Revolution, only a few troupes remained, and today the three troupes remaining perform very seldom, upon request only.

Xu Qi told us that nowadays many young Chinese don`t know about the art of shadow puppetry, but it seems like its popularity is increasing in the Western Countries. Guang Hua Shadow Play Troupe was recently interviewed by BBC`s Micheal Wood, who is making a documentary about the history of China. 

Group picture with the BBC crew

Wei JinQuan also carves puppets for Jean-Luc Penso, a French puppeteer, who studied with him for several months before starting his own troupe in France.

Wei JinQuan welcomes in his home anybody willing to learn the art of shadow puppetry, and is more than happy to teach them! If you are interested we can help you to get in touch with him.

Learning to manipulate the puppets

Now forget about Kung Fu Panda and watch Zhang Yimou’s touching movie “To Live” to see how the life of a family, where the father happens to be member of a shadow puppetry troupe, was like between the 1940`s and 1970`s.

Xu Qi told us that Pan Jingle, 83 years old member of Guang Hua Shadow Play Troupe, was the one who dubbed the shadow play scenes in the movie. One more reason to watch this movie!

In another post I will explain more in detail how the puppets are made and I will introduce Wang Tianwen, the inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage praised as " No.1 in Carving of Shadow Figure". 

All the pictures in this post are a courtesy of Xu Qi.

China`s intangible Cultural Heritage

In my previous post about maple resin dyeing technique I mentioned China National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. But what is intangible cultural heritage? Well, roughly it covers the oral traditions, languages, performing arts, social practices, rituals, and traditional craftsmanship associated with a particular social group, generally passed down orally. In this article I will give you an overview of what is Intangible Cultural Heritage and what elements are included in the List of China`s Intangible Cultural Heritage.  

The UNESCO Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Intangible cultural heritage was promoted by UNESCO as a counterpart to the World Heritage that focuses mainly on tangible aspects of culture, and aims at safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. According to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the intangible cultural heritage is defined as 

“the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage”.  

 Among many others, the following elements are inscribed on the List of China

Chinese shadow puppetry

Wooden movable-type printing

Art of Chinese seal engraving

Regong arts

Etc.

 

Xi`An Shadow Puppets

China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List

The early 1950’s, when the Chinese government started investigating the minority cultural heritages in China and taking measures to protect and nurture a large number of traditional arts and crafts industry, are considered the beginning of the heritage protection in China.

In 2006, 2008 and 2011 the state council of China announced three batches of national level intangible cultural heritage list, a total of 1,219 inscribed in it (YE Peng, ZHOU Yao-lin. The Development and Trends Of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List).

Among the fine arts and crafts list we can find:

Tibetan Thangka

Kite-Making Techniques

Xiangdong Nuo mask

Tie-Dyeing Techniques of Bai Ethnic Group

Paper cuts

And many others

Chinese Zodiac Papercut

On this blog we will mainly introduce arts and crafts from the UNESCO List and the China National List. Making it known to the public, showing our support and appreciation we hope to contribute somehow to keep alive intangible cultural heritage.

Don`t miss the next post to find out more about fascinating techniques and unique crafts!

For further information about the Intangible Heritage Lists visit the UNESCO site.