Shandong Business Daily And Speed Leopard News Network reporter Zheng Zhinan Xu Chang
An ordinary piece of red paper, skillfully cut the beauty of the world. During the Spring Festival, Qi Xiufang's paper-cutting handicraft shop was crowded, and her newly created paper-cut works with the theme of the Year of the Tiger were welcomed by people, and the business was very prosperous. 8 years old to learn paper-cutting, more than 40 years of unchanged love, thousands of original works, Qi Xiufang through their own efforts, so that the charm of paper-cutting this folk craft into more people's hearts. Recently, in addition to creating paper-cutting with the theme of the Year of the Tiger, Qi Xiufang and her sister Qi Xiuhua have also created a number of Winter Olympic-themed works, vividly reproducing snowboarding, freestyle skiing, curling, figure skating and other projects, which are loved by people.
Craftsmanship taught by grandma
February 8, 2022, the eighth day of the first lunar month. For craftsmen such as Qi Xiufang, the Spring Festival is basically a non-rest, and now is one of the times when business is more prosperous every year.
In the shop of Qi Xiufang, the inheritor of Weifang's municipal intangible culture, the most displayed is paper-cutting. During the interval between interviews, from time to time, tourists came into the store to inquire about the price of paper-cut works, and many of them would bargain and then take away their favorite paper-cut works with satisfaction.
Qi Xiufang and her sister Qi Xiuhua are well-known local paper-cutting craftsmen, and their paper-cutting skills are taught by their grandmothers. Influenced by the family environment and personal love, Qi Xiufang began to learn paper-cutting with her grandmother when she was 8 years old. After 46 years, paper-cutting has accompanied Qi Xiufang through half her life. Over the years, her name with her sister has also become familiar to more people because of paper-cutting.
"I started by learning to cut window flowers." Qi Xiufang told the Shandong Business Daily And Leopard News Network reporter that there are "four flowers" in the local paper-cutting: window flowers, wall flowers, roof flowers and happy flowers. When she was a teenager, Qi Xiufang could already independently write and cut window flowers. At that time, "When it was about to be the New Year, my sister and I cut it, and my mother took it to the market to sell. 5 cents a piece", selling couplets, paper cuts lined up along the street, "all streets are red". The villagers brought a piece of red paper to their home, and Qi Xiufang and her sister "cut it for the villagers for free."
In May 1987, at the age of 19, Qi Xiufang held an exhibition of her paper-cut works at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. It was her first trip to Beijing, and she was pleasantly surprised by the effect of the exhibition. "It was still popular and sold well at the time." That trip to Beijing made Qi Xiufang "like Beijing." Three years later, 22-year-old Qi Xiufang went to Beijing alone to work hard, "living by paper cutting", staying for more than 20 years.
In those years in Beijing, Qi Xiufang often appeared at temple fairs in various places. "According to the needs of customers, cut one out on the spot. Sometimes four sheets are cut at the same time, and whoever wants it can take it later. "She told reporters that she was deeply impressed by a temple fair at the China Millennium Monument." It was supposed to be collected at 5 p.m., but there were still many people waiting in line, and I was embarrassed to end it", "Cut it non-stop at the end of the day".
When he was young, he went to Beijing to work hard, and returned to his hometown after middle age, and what remained unchanged was his love for paper-cutting. In recent years, Qi Xiufang has returned to her hometown after a long absence, founded the Qi Art Center in the county town, and opened a store for arts and crafts in the Red Sorghum Film and Television City. Qi Xiufang said that she wanted to rely on her craft to "do something for her hometown" and "want to teach this craft to more people in her hometown." ”
Winter Olympic complex
With a long history, diverse styles and regional flavor, Gaomi paper-cutting is a folk art form that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the local people, and it is also one of the famous areas of paper-cutting art in the mainland. The locals refer to it together with clay sculptures, gray paintings, and Mao Cavity as the "Four Treasures of Gaomi". Qi Xiufang and her sister Qi Xiuhua are representatives of this craft.
In terms of artistic style, "the high-density paper-cut lines are smooth, and the use of black and white gray is wonderful." It has the rough style of northern paper-cutting, and also has the delicacy of southern paper-cutting," Qi Xiufang said.
Decades of paper-cutting art, in addition to the lasting love for paper-cutting craftsmanship, is inseparable from persistent creativity. From the traditional paper-cutting style learned from her grandmother, Qi Xiufang constantly studies new shapes every year. Qi Xiufang told the Shandong Business Daily And Leopard News Network reporter that the original works she has accumulated over the years are "several thousand", and "there are many sets of the twelve zodiac signs alone".
"Many of the traditional paper-cut performance contents are familiar folk tales, such as "The Tale of the West Chamber" and "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", including various story characters, animals, and various patterns that express auspicious and ruyi themes, such as every year, flowers blooming and wealth."
Qi Xiufang told reporters that the innovation of the style of her paper-cut works is from the customer's request to "create according to the preferences of the other party", and the other is to keep up with the times and focus on the content that shows the characteristics of the times. "Last year, I created "Golden Bull Celebration Harvest", "Five Grains and Abundance", as well as works on the theme of anti-epidemic."
Recently, she has created a series of paper-cutting works with different styles of the Theme of the Year of the Tiger, such as "Fuhu Yingchun", "Tiger Tiger Shengwei", "Rich in the Year of the Tiger", "Like a Tiger Adding Wings", etc., which have a beautiful meaning and delicate style. Many of the works are presented in the form of circular symmetry, skillfully combining tigers with auspicious patterns such as flowers and swallows and goldfish, combined with the color of the red paper, revealing a warm and festive style, which is very artistic.
In addition, around the theme of the Winter Olympics, under the leadership of her sister Qi Xiuhua, the two sisters cooperated to create a series of "Winter Olympics" theme works, including vivid reproduction of snowboarding, freestyle skiing, curling, figure skating and other projects. In the expression of the effect of paper-cutting art, on the one hand, it integrates the content of the Year of the Tiger into the details, such as athletes wearing "tiger hats", on the other hand, it vividly portrays the high-spirited posture and mental outlook of the athletes on the field.
Inheritance of intangible cultural heritage
During the New Year's Festival, Qi Xiufang usually takes care of the business in the shop. "From the first day of the first lunar month to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, it is definitely busy. Paper cut sales are OK, and there is basically no stock in the store. "When she is not busy, she will find someone to stare at the store and concentrate on creating at home.
Qi Xiufang told the Shandong Business Daily And Leopard News Network reporter that to complete a paper-cutting work, first conceive, then use a pen to outline the line draft, and finally cut it. "When performing live, you can take off the script and cut it. With experience, no need to tick the picture, directly cut. ”
In recent years, Qi Xiufang's footprints have traveled to many parts of the motherland, participated in various exhibitions, and traveled to Germany, Britain and Brazil, bringing the art of paper-cutting to further places. In addition, from kindergartens, communities to universities, in front of different groups of people, show the creation process of paper-cutting, teach them paper-cutting skills by hand, let more people feel the charm of paper-cutting, and also make Qi Xiufang's life more fulfilling.
"Now the state attaches great importance to and supports excellent folk art." Qi Xiufang recalled that when she first obtained income through paper cutting, "everyone used the wall calendar at that time", so she designed and produced a paper-cut wall calendar. Through frequent participation in local temple fairs and other activities, it began to become known. Especially after the exposure of relevant media, universities and residential communities have invited her to give paper-cutting classes.
"I don't think I'm much famous. I like this thing, people say how good your work is, but I never feel how famous I am," Qi Xiufang told reporters.
Qi Xiufang also told reporters that when she was a child, in addition to learning paper-cutting with her grandmother, she also learned to make cloth tigers. Now, in addition to creating paper cuts, she also makes cloth tigers, tie-dyes and New Year paintings.
"When I was in Beijing, I was taking students, and now I am also taking them, mainly children. Usually, in addition to teaching paper cutting, I also take the children to do tie-dye and so on. ”
Editor of Shandong Business Daily And Leopard News Network Xu Xiaoyang