China is known as the "State of Etiquette", and its traditional folk culture has a long history, including many exquisite art forms. Among these traditional arts, the most common and widely disseminated ones should be paper-cutting and New Year paintings.
So, which one can really be called a unique form of folk art in China?Let's take a look at the history, production process, expression techniques, etc.
First of all, in history, both can be traced back to a fairly distant period. According to research, "paper-cutting" first appeared in the late Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms period;The "New Year Painting" originated in the Tang Dynasty. Both have evolved and evolved over the centuries and have gradually become indispensable decorations in folk festivals.
Secondly, in terms of production process, although they both belong to the category of handmade creation, there are obvious differences between the two. Paper-cutting mainly uses a knife or scissors to carve colored paper into various patterns;New Year paintings, on the other hand, are usually carved on wooden panels and then printed. As a result, there are also slight differences in skill level and difficulty.
Finally, there are even greater differences in the way they are expressed. Paper-cutting is known for its ingenious design and exquisite and meticulous cutting techniques;New Year's paintings, on the other hand, pay more attention to the use of color and depiction of character scenes. It can be said that the two have their own strengths and complement each other.
On the whole, although there is a gap between "paper-cutting" and "New Year painting" in some aspects, both are very distinctive, popular and rich in cultural connotation of folk art forms in China. Whether it is in family life, rural towns or urban streets and alleys, you can see them in their unique style and vividly display the beauty of traditional Chinese culture.
It is worth mentioning that "intangible cultural heritage protection" has become the focus of attention in recent years and has achieved certain results. "Lisu Bamboo Cutting Technique", "Woodblock Watermark Cloth Printing and Dyeing Technique", "Beijing Golden Thread Picking Shadow Puppet Performance Technique", and the "Brush Font Writing Technique (Xingshu)", which has attracted much attention and even caused heated discussions in the new list in recent years, will be better protected and carried forward. "Paper-cutting" and "New Year's paintings" are also worth cherishing.
The above is a brief introduction to the more common and easily confused and misunderstood "Chinese unique folk art form: paper-cut or New Year painting".