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Cutting-edge approach to help save traditional craft
By Xu Wenwen |
July 9, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PAPERCUTTING has an ancient history in Hangzhou's Tonglu County, but the everyday art of 'window flowers' has fallen into decline in recent times. Xu Wenwen looks at efforts to revitalize the craft and create forms to appeal to 21st century consumers.
Chinese papercutting was the world's first form of the handicraft, following the invention of paper by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), and has evolved around the country in different styles.
In Tonglu County of Hangzhou - one claimant to "the hometown of papercutting in China" title - the craft developed into an exquisite and delicate style, depicting nature and local folk activities. Tonglu papercuttings were also used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer work.
It is believed that papercutting has an ancient history in the small county where every girl was expected to master the craft. But in recent decades the popularity of papercutting has waned in Tonglu, and while people still like it, few make or buy it.
"Many people see papercutting as just a piece of paper," says Wang Delin, a papercutting artist in Tonglu striving to retain and promote the craft.
Wang, 52, is an art teacher in a local middle school and learned papercutting more than 20 years ago, during a local government campaign to revive the art.
But Wang admits that it's a "long road" explaining the art to the public and securing its future.
Papercuttings are chiefly used to decorate walls, windows, doors, columns and mirrors, and are sometimes called window flowers.
Due to the simple material and the fact that in the past many people were skilled in the craft, papercuttingshave traditionally beencheap folk knick-knacks.
So since the beginning of the 20th century, local government has made efforts to ensure the survival of the art, with initiatives including papercutting competitions, building a papercutting museum and encouraging more people to learn the craft.
Before learning papercutting, Wang had studied Western art in college, and has brought modern elements to the skill.
Wang has made modern-style papercutting - one of his works features a nude woman and traditional flower-type cutting.
"There's potential to add creative elements to papercutting," Wang explains.
Some of Wang's works also involve elements of freehand Chinese traditional painting and look more high-art than simple window flowers.
He has also used papercutting patterns on fans, and even created papercutting animation in a bid to popularize the craft.
Wang is not the first artist who has sought to create new forms of papercutting.
Xie Yuxia, the former president of Tonglu Folk Papercutting Association, who died last year, invented three-dimensional papercutting, which is made by folding and cutting.
She began learning papercutting when eight, and also developed other techniques, including using different colors and silk instead of paper. Her works won numerous prizes and have been displayed in exhibitions in Russia, Spain and the UK.
Papercutting masters from Tonglu also include Hu Jiazhi, who died two years ago aged 114. Born in Tonglu, Hu lived in Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. She excelled at large-size papercutting pieces, highly praised by art critics for the demanding skills and diverse content.
Although less popular than in the past, due to the efforts of masters, papercutting survives in Tonglu. Since 2004, the county has held a National Papercutting Contest biennially. Last year, the contest received 70 entries - including nine from foreign countries, including Germany, UK, France and Japan.
Efforts to preserve the art have also seen it listed as a Zhejiang Intangible Culture Heritage and papercutting offered as a supplementary course in local elementary schools.
"I think there are two strategies that will ensure the survival of papercutting. The first is to have kids learn it; the second is to combine the art with modern elements," says Liu Lianhua, a papercutting master in Tonglu who also runs a company selling the craft.
Liu's company has managed to make a business out of the old craft. Employing a dozen staff, it produced output value of more than 300,000 yuan (US$47,100) last year, wholesaling papercuttings to folk markets, such as Hangzhou's Hefang Street and Shanghai's City God Temple.
Liu's most expensive piece, an intricate 40-centimeter-square monochrome papercutting of scenery, was sold to another papercutting master for 5,000 yuan, a startling price of the craft.
"The revival is just beginning. We are still waiting for people to have a better understanding of the culture and art," she says.
Chinese papercutting was the world's first form of the handicraft, following the invention of paper by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), and has evolved around the country in different styles.
In Tonglu County of Hangzhou - one claimant to "the hometown of papercutting in China" title - the craft developed into an exquisite and delicate style, depicting nature and local folk activities. Tonglu papercuttings were also used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer work.
It is believed that papercutting has an ancient history in the small county where every girl was expected to master the craft. But in recent decades the popularity of papercutting has waned in Tonglu, and while people still like it, few make or buy it.
"Many people see papercutting as just a piece of paper," says Wang Delin, a papercutting artist in Tonglu striving to retain and promote the craft.
Wang, 52, is an art teacher in a local middle school and learned papercutting more than 20 years ago, during a local government campaign to revive the art.
But Wang admits that it's a "long road" explaining the art to the public and securing its future.
Papercuttings are chiefly used to decorate walls, windows, doors, columns and mirrors, and are sometimes called window flowers.
Due to the simple material and the fact that in the past many people were skilled in the craft, papercuttingshave traditionally beencheap folk knick-knacks.
So since the beginning of the 20th century, local government has made efforts to ensure the survival of the art, with initiatives including papercutting competitions, building a papercutting museum and encouraging more people to learn the craft.
Before learning papercutting, Wang had studied Western art in college, and has brought modern elements to the skill.
Wang has made modern-style papercutting - one of his works features a nude woman and traditional flower-type cutting.
"There's potential to add creative elements to papercutting," Wang explains.
Some of Wang's works also involve elements of freehand Chinese traditional painting and look more high-art than simple window flowers.
He has also used papercutting patterns on fans, and even created papercutting animation in a bid to popularize the craft.
Wang is not the first artist who has sought to create new forms of papercutting.
Xie Yuxia, the former president of Tonglu Folk Papercutting Association, who died last year, invented three-dimensional papercutting, which is made by folding and cutting.
She began learning papercutting when eight, and also developed other techniques, including using different colors and silk instead of paper. Her works won numerous prizes and have been displayed in exhibitions in Russia, Spain and the UK.
Papercutting masters from Tonglu also include Hu Jiazhi, who died two years ago aged 114. Born in Tonglu, Hu lived in Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. She excelled at large-size papercutting pieces, highly praised by art critics for the demanding skills and diverse content.
Although less popular than in the past, due to the efforts of masters, papercutting survives in Tonglu. Since 2004, the county has held a National Papercutting Contest biennially. Last year, the contest received 70 entries - including nine from foreign countries, including Germany, UK, France and Japan.
Efforts to preserve the art have also seen it listed as a Zhejiang Intangible Culture Heritage and papercutting offered as a supplementary course in local elementary schools.
"I think there are two strategies that will ensure the survival of papercutting. The first is to have kids learn it; the second is to combine the art with modern elements," says Liu Lianhua, a papercutting master in Tonglu who also runs a company selling the craft.
Liu's company has managed to make a business out of the old craft. Employing a dozen staff, it produced output value of more than 300,000 yuan (US$47,100) last year, wholesaling papercuttings to folk markets, such as Hangzhou's Hefang Street and Shanghai's City God Temple.
Liu's most expensive piece, an intricate 40-centimeter-square monochrome papercutting of scenery, was sold to another papercutting master for 5,000 yuan, a startling price of the craft.
"The revival is just beginning. We are still waiting for people to have a better understanding of the culture and art," she says.
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