Shaanxi paper-cutting

The art of paper-cutting is one of the Chinese folk arts. Paper-cutting is divided into the southern school, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang school and the northern school. As an important branch of the northern school, Shaanxi paper-cutting has thick and hard lines, ancient shapes, and rich earthy atmosphere, which is completely different from the soft and freehand style of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Shaanxi paper-cut has the reputation of "living fossil" of folk customs, and the famous paper-cut shapes include "fish body human face", "sphinx face", "bun doll", "cow ploughing map" and so on.

Hand-cut paper-cutting has a degree of fineness that is difficult to achieve by machine paper-cutting, so the artistic appreciation value of hand-cut paper-cutting is higher, and it can be used as an art treasure collection. Experienced enthusiasts can consider an in-depth tour of Yuanjia Village around Xi'an. Yuanjia Village is a well-known folk culture village in Shaanxi, and the famous paper-cutting artist Meng Qingling also opened a shop here to welcome customers. Meng Qingling has been obsessed with paper-cutting for 50 years, and the famous paper-cut scrolls "Water Margin 108 Generals" and "Qingming Riverside Map" are from her. It takes an average of a year and a half to complete a long paper-cut scroll, and it is difficult to make an appointment to buy, so you can consider the "Fu" character series with different styles, which cost hundreds to thousands of yuan.

The overall theme of the paper-cuts sold in the market is on the single side, which is suitable for pasting decorations to add a festive atmosphere. There are souvenir shops selling shadow puppets, which generally sell paper-cutting, and Shuyuanmen Cultural Street is a good place to shop for goods.

Place of purchase: Shuyuanmen Cultural Street, handicraft specialty store