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The cut papers are works manufactured to the hand and one finds some of two types: those that have been cut to scissors and those that were to the knife. In this last case, one uses a decoupoir to cut in only one time a battery of set down sheets of paper on a board (made from the ash produced by a burn-perfume and the melted sheep grease).

It is an art that transmits itself in China since generations, especially in the villages. Indeed, according to the archaeological research, this art would already have existed during the dynasties of the North (386-581). Although the cut papers seem to be an artistic shape all simple, they are of rich symbols of the traditional culture and the daily life of the Chinese.

Cut two papers groups exist, according to the use that one makes to some. There are first those that serve to decorate the door of entry, the windows and the lamps, for example, during the feast of the Spring and the feast of the Lanterns. Then, there are those that are particular on the big occasions as the marriages, funeral ceremony, etc. at the time of a marriage, the papers are used to decorate the walls and furniture of the marriage room, and all are colored, especially in red.

The themes are varied. Thus, the pictures of a baby, a calabash or a lotus mean the family's prosperity; those of a poultry, a house pet, a fruit or a fish symbolize the good harvest. All these pictures are those of things to which the peasants are familiar.

The cut papers also possess a regional character. Those of the Shaanxi are simple and concise. Those of the Hebei and the Shanxi are colored after have been cut and present masks of opera especially. In the only province of the Jiangsu, three places offer papers cut different. Thus, in Nanjing, the cut papers are simple and natural; in Yixing, they are luxurious; and in Nantong, particularly refined. In the Guangdong, the papers cut of Foshan are recognized for their colorful character, their diversity and their decorative aspect. In the Shandong, one says that they are delicate and refined.