Paper-cutting · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

Huining County lies in central Gansu Province, in the loess plateau hilly-and-gully region at the headwaters of the Juliu River. The area is arid with little rainfall, and its villages are scattered; paper cutting circulated in dependence on the window lattices, kang surrounds, and lanterns of cave dwellings and adobe houses. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Huining paper cutting had already reached full maturity and was widely used in local folk social life; it was the most traditional and most popular artistic style for the masses to beautify their homes and decorate festivals. Local paper cutting is dominated by window flowers, lantern flowers, and kang-surround flowers. The pattern structures emphasize overall symmetry and cross symmetry, with vivid, free, and straightforward modeling. The makers are mainly women, though some dexterous men also joined in; most created during the agricultural off-season or around the New Year and festivals, snatching moments from their busy schedules to exchange and view one another's work. Huining paper cutting has long been transmitted through instruction between mothers and daughters and mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law within families, as well as mutual teaching among neighbors, of which the craftsmanship of Gangouyi Township is the finest. Representative artists still active today include Li Yulian, Cao Xiuying, Zhang Lanfang, Zhao Lanfang, Tian Juntang, Zhang Xiaoxia, Zhang Fangqin, Shi Xiaoe, and Qin Ying.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Common subjects include flowers and plants, birds and beasts, folk customs and phenomena, festive meanings, opera figures, folk legends, and daily life. The forms of expression are mostly window flowers, lantern flowers, and kang-surround flowers. The picture structures of the paper-cut patterns are mainly overall symmetry and cross symmetry, with vivid, free, and straightforward modeling, rich in a strong local flavor and a quaint, novel decorative interest. The makers of Huining paper cutting are mainly women, though some dexterous men joined in as well; most created during the agricultural off-season or around the New Year and festivals, snatching moments from their busy schedules to exchange and view one another's work, taking pleasure in creating paper cuts. Paper cutting is the main way for Huining paper-cutting artists to express their life ideals and living conditions. Its representative artists include Li Yulian, Cao Xiuying, Zhang Lanfang, Zhao Lanfang, Tian Juntang, Zhang Xiaoxia, Zhang Fangqin, Shi Xiaoe, and Qin Ying.

Window, lantern and kang-border flowers

Its commonest formats, pasted on window lattice, lanterns and the kang border, their structures built on overall and cross symmetry.

Plants, opera figures and daily life

Its usual subjects: plants, birds and beasts, folk customs, auspicious symbols, opera figures, legends and daily life.

Gangouyi township

Found across the county's townships and villages, the craft is at its finest in Gangouyi, where cutters are most concentrated.

Making and comparing in the slack season

Work is made in the slack season and at festivals, neighbours comparing and watching each other cut, using paper as a way to voice hopes and describe their lives.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Huining paper cutting is mainly distributed among the townships and rural areas of Huining County, Gansu Province, with Gangouyi Township being the finest. Huining paper cutting has a long history; it had already reached full maturity during the Ming and Qing dynasties and was widely used in local folk social life, being the most traditional and most popular artistic style for the local masses to beautify their homes and decorate festivals.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Due to the impact of the market economy and foreign cultures, Huining paper cutting lacks successors and faces the danger of dying out; protection work is extremely urgent.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Paper-cutting (Huining, Gansu) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗