Paper-cutting · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

Dai paper cutting originated in the paper streamers used in sacrificial rites; later, influenced by Buddhist culture and Central Plains culture, it was gradually enriched and perfected.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Dai paper cutting is mainly popular in Luxi City, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Its earliest form originated in the paper streamers used in Dai sacrificial rituals; later, under the influence of Buddhist culture and Central Plains culture, it was gradually enriched and developed into a mature paper cutting, and it is widely applied in sacrificial rites, Buddhist offerings (danfo), funerals, celebrations and home decoration. In Luxi, Dai villagers in nearly every village and settlement can cut paper. Luxi Dai paper cutting uses specially made scissors, engraving knives, chisels and hammers as tools. Its scissors and knives have the qualities of being sharp, keen, narrow and thin, and can generally cut eight layers of paper at once; the chisels and hammers have the qualities of steadiness, boring power and nimble flexibility, and can chisel more than fifty layers of paper in a single operation. Dai paper cutting is divided into two methods: 'cutting' and 'chiseling'. Cutting requires no draft pattern and can be done freely; chiseling requires a draft pattern and is carried out according to it. The main products of Dai paper cutting are 'zha' and 'dong' (ritual paper fittings), Buddhist streamers, hanging lanterns, hanging curtains and boards, mostly used to decorate the doors and windows of Buddhist halls, Buddhist umbrellas and banners, as well as performance props, festival sheds and the dragon pavilion of the Water-Splashing Festival. The content of Dai paper cutting is mostly related to the Southern Theravada Buddhism believed in by the Dai people, involving Buddhist sutra stories, folk legends and the scenery and products of the borderlands, and carrying a rich breath of life and local flavor. Common designs include dragons and phoenixes, peacocks, elephants, lions, qilin, red deer, fine horses, swimming fish and all manner of strange beasts and exotic birds; flowering plants such as nuomian blossoms, lotus, roses, chrysanthemums, camellias and azaleas; and buildings such as pavilions, terraces and towers, Buddhist pagodas and temples. The images are vivid, the patterns neat, well-proportioned and beautiful, the style bold and forceful, plain and unadorned. In the current rapidly changing social transformation, Dai paper cutting faces difficulties. Because paper-cutting artists' incomes are meager, most young people are unwilling to enter the trade.

The two methods: cutting and chiselling

Dai cutting divides into scissors work, done freehand, and chisel work, which follows a pattern and can pierce over fifty layers at once.

Scissors, knives, chisels and hammers

It uses purpose-made scissors, knives, chisels and hammers: the blades are sharp, narrow and thin, cutting eight layers, while the chisels are steady and nimble.

Zha, dong, banners, lanterns and hangings

Its main products—zha, dong, Buddhist banners, lanterns and hanging panels—decorate temple doors, canopies and festival structures.

Decorating temples and the water-splashing pavilion

Dai cutting serves worship, offerings, funerals, celebrations and the home, ornamenting temple doors, canopies and the water-splashing pavilion.

The lineages of Si Huazhang and Shao Meihan

Si Huazhang (1923–2011) was a first-batch national inheritor with a plain, vivid style; Shao Meihan, born 1963, teaches in her village and in universities.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Dai paper cutting occupies an important and special position in local social life; from its inner content to its external forms of expression, it reflects the Dai people's historical and cultural traditions, aesthetic pursuits and unique national spirit.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Today the inheritors of Dai paper cutting are very few and advanced in years; this distinctive ethnic art urgently needs rescue and protection. Si Huazhang (recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): His paper-cutting works are plain yet vivid, with beautiful forms; he is skilled at exaggerating the characteristics of his images so that they are clear at a glance. His chosen subjects are wide-ranging, with content rich in ethnic life and local flavor. Common designs include strange beasts, exotic birds and plants and flowers symbolizing good fortune, as well as architectural motifs such as pavilions, terraces and towers, Buddhist pagodas and temples; there are also folk customs, Buddhist sutra stories and folk legends. His works have been exhibited many times within and outside the province; he currently has one apprentice. Male, of the Dai ethnic group, born in 1923 and deceased in 2011, a native of Luxi, Yunnan. Representative inheritor of Paper Cutting (Dai paper cutting), a project of the first batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage; ethnic folk artist of Yunnan Province. Shao Meihan (recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): Female, of the Dai ethnic group, born in February 1963, a native of Mangshi, Yunnan Province. From childhood, influenced by what she saw and heard, she developed a strong interest in the paper cutting of items indispensable to sacrificial rites and Buddhist offerings (danfo) in Dai areas. Through thirty years of accumulated life experience, she has mastered the Dai paper-cutting technique quite well and inherited the tradition of Dai folk art. Using the ancient art of paper cutting to depict Dai family life, she has created fine paper-cutting works with a rich local flavor and lifelike images, forming a unique artistic style. She actively carries out transmission activities for Dai paper cutting: teaching apprentices in her village, serving as a training instructor in Mangshi, and passing on the technique in university classrooms, making active and effective contributions to the inheritance and development of Dai paper cutting. Representative inheritor of Paper Cutting (Dai paper cutting), a project of the fourth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage. Her works have been selected for various exhibitions many times and have won prizes.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗