Paper-cutting · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

Dingxi lies in central Gansu Province and is a convergence zone of the farming civilization of the upper Yellow River and the eastern section of the Silk Road corridor; its paper cutting therefore preserves cultural symbols of multiple ethnic groups, and its lines and compositions are interdependent with the seasonal rhythm of the local dry-land agriculture. From seasonal festivals and life-cycle rites to home decoration, Dingxi paper cutting is an indispensable artistic form; its most typical styles are the four major categories of window flowers, spring leaves, face coverings, and board curtains. The lines of Dingxi paper cutting are simple and bold; the main compositional elements often consist of fish-net patterns, giant salamander fish patterns, bird patterns, frog patterns, water-wave patterns, grass-leaf patterns, saw-tooth patterns, and scissor patterns; the forms are archaic yet lively and unrestrainedly forthright.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Dingxi paper cutting is a traditional folk paper cutting popular in Dingxi City and other areas of central Gansu Province. The main implements used are scissors, carving knives, wax boards, and paper. It preserves cultural symbols of multiple ethnic groups; its forms are bold, daring, romantic, and fine, and have a symbolic and allegorical character. Geographical factors have determined the long history and the breadth and depth of Dingxi culture; Dingxi paper cutting displays the seamless fusion of Yellow River culture, farming culture, ethnic culture, and Silk Road culture. Dingxi paper cutting has simple lines, archaic compositions, and clearly prominent themes; interdependent with Dingxi's traditional agricultural civilization and its historical and cultural customs, it has been passed down from generation to generation and is an important artistic form for traditional festivals, folk customs, life-cycle rites, and home decoration. Dingxi paper-cutting works serve both as home decorations and as gifts for relatives and friends, and possess broad mass participation, practicality, and diversity of expressive forms. Dingxi paper cutting has a great variety of types; its decorative patterns are mainly flowers and plants, birds and beasts, and the like, and its subjects are folk customs and phenomena, festive meanings, literary and opera figures, and historical myths and legends. Its most typical forms are the four major categories of window flowers, spring leaves, face coverings, and board curtains. Dingxi paper cutting has simple, broad, and archaic lines; the main compositional elements include fish-net patterns, giant salamander fish patterns, bird patterns, frog patterns, water-wave patterns, grass-leaf patterns, saw-tooth patterns, and scissor patterns, which are interdependent with traditional farming culture. The paper-cutting works have distinctive forms — archaic yet lively, wild and forthright, vivid and flowing, true to life. The making techniques mainly consist of frieze (two-directional continuous), allover (four-directional continuous), and radiating continuous patterns formed chiefly by folding; stylistically, the works are both finely delicate and boldly unrestrained.

Window flowers, spring leaves, face covers and board curtains

The four classic forms of Dingxi cutting, used for New Year decoration, seasonal display and the different occasions of local ritual life.

Salamander and frog motifs

Its motifs — net, salamander, bird, frog, wave, leaf, saw-tooth and scissor patterns — depend on farming culture and preserve multi-ethnic symbols.

Folding to generate repeats

Folding is the chief technique, generating two-way, four-way and radiating repeats, in a style at once delicate and bold.

Children at play, mandarin ducks and bats

Its usual subjects abstract local life and pun on auspicious words: children at play, ducks, carp, bats, the magpie announcing joy, the cock at dawn, clouds, pine and lotus.

A five-generation lineage

Transmitted communally, its practitioners raised in the household craft, the traceable lineage now runs five generations.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The materials are mainly patterns abstracted and generalized from local customs and conditions, such as children-at-play pictures, mandarin ducks, carp, and bats; or patterns and symbols that are auspicious through homophony, such as magpies announcing good news and roosters announcing the dawn; as well as auspicious clouds, pine, and lotus. Dingxi paper cutting embodies the local people's longing and prayers for a happy and beautiful life, displays the ingenuity and optimistic, resilient art of living of the women of central Gansu (Longzhong), and reflects harmonious and good-neighborly relations. The scenes of fiery prosperity created by Dingxi paper cutting embody the local people's beautiful wishes for favorable weather and abundant harvests in the coming year, and are a vivid expression of Dingxi's folk traditions and spiritual world.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Dingxi paper cutting is transmitted mainly in groups; the inheritors were mostly influenced by their family environment from childhood. The currently traceable and verifiable transmission lineage spans five generations.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

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

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗