Chinese Papercuts

中國剪紙

Papercuts refer to handicrafts made by cutting paper with scissors to form different patterns and pasting them on walls, windows, doors and ceilings.

剪紙，顧名思義，就是用剪刀把紙剪出各種圖形，并且把它們貼在墻上、窗戶、門和天花板上的一種手工藝品。

With their long history, papercuts, which originated in China, have been very popular among the ordinary people of China. The first papercut can be traced back to the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-581) period. The initiation and spread of papercuts had a close relationship with Chinese rural festivals. People pasted papercuts on walls, windows and doors at wedding ceremonies or festivals to enhance the festive atmosphere.

起源于中國的剪紙，歷史悠久，一直深受中國老百姓的歡迎。第一幅剪紙作品可以追溯到南北朝時期（公元386－581）.剪紙的產(chǎn)生和傳播與中國農(nóng)村的節(jié)日有著密切的聯(lián)系。人們在婚禮或過節(jié)時在墻上、窗戶、門上貼上剪紙以增強(qiáng)節(jié)慶的氣氛。

Chinese papercuts are rich in content. The auspicious designs symbolize good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bottle gourd designs suggest a family with a large number of children and grandchildren. Domestic birds, livestock, fruit, fish and worms are also familiar objects depicted by Chinese farmers. Papercuts made in different areas have different characteristics. Shanxi window papercuts are simple and bold; papercuts from Hebei Province and Shanxi Province are bright in color; papercuts in southern provinces are delicate and fine.

剪紙的內(nèi)容是很有講究的。吉祥圖案寓意吉祥辟邪，娃娃、葫蘆、蓮花等象征多子多福，家禽家畜，瓜果魚蟲是農(nóng)民熟悉的對象，也是他們表現(xiàn)的主要內(nèi)容。剪紙作為一種民間藝術(shù)，具有很強(qiáng)的地域風(fēng)格。陜西窗花風(fēng)格粗樸豪放，單純簡練，河北蔚縣和山西廣靈剪紙加染色彩，濃厚中透著秀美艷麗，而中國南方省份的剪紙精美細(xì)致，裝飾性強(qiáng)。