Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting)

剪紙 / 6th century– / Technique / Festival Crafts

Chinese paper cutting in red: window flowers for the New Year, auspicious patterns and stories composed from connected lines alone — positive-negative figure design still transmitted as intangible heritage.

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

Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) — 戌年の剪紙（CC BY-SA 3.0） — 戌年の剪紙（CC BY-SA 3.0）／満州族の剪紙（CC BY-SA 3.0）

Jianzhi (Chinese Paper Cutting) — 満州族の剪紙（CC BY-SA 3.0） — 戌年の剪紙（CC BY-SA 3.0）／満州族の剪紙（CC BY-SA 3.0）

Dictionary entry

Best used for: Comparing primary sources and canonical works · Extracting principles that transfer to other media
Type: Observe the letters, signs and scale of reference works
Composition: Extract the one structure that governs gaze and information
Material: Verify the materials and behaviors specific to era, region and process
Caution: Don't reduce it to surface signs. Verify the context of era, region, technology and makers.
Further study: window flowers and Spring Festival / the master cutters of Shaanxi / yin and yang cutting (positive and negative)

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