Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting)

剪紙 / 6th century– / Technique / Craft Movements

Chinese paper cutting works red paper with scissors and knife. As window flowers it dresses the windows at the New Year, weaving auspicious patterns and stories out of connected line alone, a positive-negative figure design still transmitted as intangible heritage.

Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) — Year of the Dog jianzhi (CC BY-SA 3.0) · © Made by Fanghong — Year of the Dog jianzhi (CC BY-SA 3.0) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · © Made by Fanghong

Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) — Hundred Fu characters, jianzhi — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 · © Patricia BjaalandWelch — Hundred Fu characters, jianzhi — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · © Patricia BjaalandWelch

At a glance

Visual cues

Cutouts in a single red
Line design that stays connected
Auspicious motifs
Light through paper on windows

Best used for

Festive decoration and window displays designed to be read against the light
Single-color packaging and cut-out marks that carry auspicious meaning

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Dictionary entry

Type: Cut the characters too, keeping them connected as part of the figure
Composition: Fix a round or square outer frame first, then divide inside it symmetrically
Material: Folded red paper cut so every line stays thick enough to hold
Caution: Drawing the motif too fine leaves the paper unconnected so it falls apart, breaking the premise of designing positive and negative at once.
Further study: window flowers and Spring Festival / the master cutters of Shaanxi / yin and yang cutting (positive and negative)

Related entries

Papel Picado (パペル・ピカド)Same Craft Movements lineage.Compare Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) and Papel Picado
Linocut (リノカット)Shared effects: Intimacy / Nostalgia.Compare Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) and Linocut

Often confused with

Papel Picado (パペル・ピカド)compare

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