Paper-cutting · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

Xunyi paper cutting is said to have originated in the Han Dynasty and is mainly circulated in Zhanghong Town, Taiyi Town, Zhitian Town, and Chidao Township within Xunyi County, the northernmost part of the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi Province. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Xunyi paper cutting had developed from single-color paper cutting into color-patchwork paper cutting (caitie). Xunyi lies on the northern edge of the Guanzhong Plain, in the gully region of the Weibei Loess Plateau. Its paper cutting is said to have originated in the Han Dynasty and is mainly circulated in Zhongyuan's Zhanghong Town, Taiyi Town, Zhitian Town, and Chidao Township, mostly attached to the doors, windows, kang (heated brick bed) surrounds, and ceilings of cave-dwelling houses. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Xunyi paper cutting had developed from single-color paper cutting into color-patchwork paper cutting: glossy colored paper is first cut into separate parts, which are then pasted layer by layer onto backing paper, so that the flat single-color picture turns into a multi-colored composition, forming the later color-patchwork line. In the late 20th century, the Xunyi folk artist Ku Shulan became famous for color-patchwork paper cutting; in 1996 she was awarded the title of 'Master of Folk Arts and Crafts' by UNESCO.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

In Xunyi, color-patchwork paper cutting is an essential skill for local women. In daily life, window flowers and wall pictures are cut for the New Year and festivals, ceremonial curtains are cut for weddings and funerals, ceiling flowers and kang-surround flowers are cut to decorate new homes, and the patterns used as templates for clothing embroidery, the designs placed over flower-shaped steamed buns (huamo), and the ritual procedures for welcoming gods and sending off ghosts all likewise depend on paper-cutting decoration. Xunyi color-patchwork paper cutting uses glossy colored paper as its material, and the picture is composed through such techniques as cutting, pasting, and backing. The works have full, substantial compositions, harmonious and brilliant colors, and abundant charm. The pictures of Xunyi color-patchwork paper cutting can be large or small; the largest reach more than 4 meters, and every work has a corresponding ballad. Xunyi color-patchwork paper cuttings can be large or small; the largest reach more than 4 meters. Every work has a corresponding ballad, and the paper-cutting artist sings while cutting, with the lyrics mostly drawn from opera stories and immortal legends circulating in the locality. The works use glossy colored paper as their material and are composed through such techniques as cutting, pasting, and backing, with full, substantial compositions and harmonious, brilliant colors. Common subjects include the images of deities and Buddhas, opera figures, flowers, trees, birds, and beasts, and images expressing prayers for sons and blessings; they are mostly pasted on the windows, walls, and ceilings of cave dwellings or used for wedding ceremonial curtains.

Making caitie (pasted-colour) cuttings

Made from coloured glazed paper: parts are cut, then pasted and backed in layers, giving full composition and harmonious, brilliant colour.

Cutting while singing

Xunyi cutters sing as they work, the verses mostly local opera stories and immortal legends, each pasted picture having its own song.

Ceremonial hangings and ceiling flowers

Used for festival window flowers and wall pictures, wedding and funeral hangings, ceiling and kang-border flowers in new homes, embroidery drafts and covers for decorated steamed buns.

Large pasted-colour works over four metres

Sizes range widely, the largest exceeding four metres, requiring coloured papers cut to measure and backed layer by layer before filling a whole wall.

Ku Shulan, master of folk arts and crafts

The Xunyi cutter Ku Shulan was named a master of folk arts and crafts by UNESCO in 1996, bringing the county's pasted-colour work to wider notice.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

When cutting paper, the artists create and sing at the same time, and the content is mostly opera stories, immortal legends, and the like circulating in local folk tradition.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

At present, the age structure of Xunyi color-patchwork paper-cutting artists is generally skewed toward the older generations, and the craft faces the predicament of having no successors.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Paper-cutting (Xunyi, Shaanxi) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗