Folk paper-cutting is an indispensable art activity in line with Chinese folk customs. Its existence must depend on the specific cultural background and living environment of the people. If there is something to do at home, the windows should not be decorated with bright lights; if the baby is not sick, the old lady will not cut a string of small figures to mourn the soul;
It depends on what is used to display the gifts. Happy events, funerals, or birthdays; if a pair of sitting tents and happy flowers are posted in the house of an old couple, it must be a play of young people; if there is no rain for a long time, if the flowers are not the "only daughter banging stick" to pray for rain, , but the "Sweeping Goddess" who prays for sunshine, I don't know how many people will curse me. This dependence characteristic, which is restricted by the purpose of existence, is reflected in the composition of specific works, that is, the decorative features of the work.
For example, hanging door banners, dish racks, etc. must be connected line by line; those affixed to the windows must fit the window panes and be hollowed out, otherwise they will look like nothing in the light. For large pieces of paper to be used as kang surrounds, it is best to cut out less fragmentary patterns, otherwise they will be easily damaged over time.
Many restrictions also form a unique language in art. In addition to completing certain folk custom functions, folk paper-cutting also strives to show its independence in the process of its own existence - that is, the characteristics of beauty. No matter what occasion a paper-cut is used for, the author must pay attention to his own aesthetic feelings during the creation process. As long as people affirm it according to the standard of beauty, it will also have aesthetic value in its existence. Of course, the independence of the art form of folk paper-cutting means that the limitation of folk customs is not to abandon it, but to fully control the folk custom form as you wish. thus. Its existence value also goes beyond the behavioral purpose of supporting folk customs.
The collective characteristics of folk paper-cutting are clearly reflected in the final ownership of their works. The work is no longer the private property of the author, but belongs to the entire society and collective. Therefore, its final appearance must be the product of directly concentrating the wisdom of the masses and integrating the artistic talents and aesthetic preferences of hundreds of people. In particular, some works that have been passed down for thousands of years have been basically finalized after many generations of repeated carvings and modifications, and are generally recognized, circulated and preserved.
For example, "Car and Horse Picture" and "Weaving Picture", the prototype of their works cannot be studied in detail. There are similar works circulating in various places, and their appearance is very different. It is difficult to say which work is completely the creation of a certain author. Then, an important reason for the formation of collectivity should be the anonymous phenomenon of folk paper-cutting. Folk art is different from the creations of professional artists in that the works neither bear the name of the author nor have personal copyright. Good works circulate in the world. Once spread, they become the source of a large number of copied and modified works, and the authors are integrated into the group concept of "laborers."
At the same time, due to the nurturing inheritance of folk paper-cutting and the relatively fixed basic pattern stylization techniques, the inheritance method is passed down from generation to generation, giving it the characteristics of relatively stable external form. . Some works are equivalent to the repertoire in opera. Any missing line or movement will cause an uproar in the audience, and cannot be changed casually. Folk paper-cutting also often has this situation: a good work turns into an ugly piece of tattered paper through the hands of an ignorant person, and then through the hands of an experienced old woman, it regains its original dazzling appearance. Brilliant, even better.