The art of paper-cutting originated in China and it can dates back to the second century C.E. since paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. Chinese Paper Cutting also named Jianzhi (剪纸); as paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became to one of the important art styles in Chinese folk culture and the art form later spread to other parts of the world with different regions adopting their own cultural styles. Because the cut outs are always used to decorate doors and windows, they are sometimes referred to “chuāng huā” (窗花), meaning Window Flower. People glued the art on the exterior of the windows and the light can go through the negative space of the cutout.[1] The artist most often use red paper to make artwork, but they also use colored-paper to collage. Normally paper-cutting artwork use on the festivals like spring festivals, weddings, childbirth; the paper-cutting always symbolizes lucky and happiness.
Chinese Paper-cutting originated from ancient activities of worshipping ancestors and gods, and is a traditional Chinese culture. According to the present archaeological records, it originated from 6th century, however people believed that its history could be traced as early as the Warring States Period (around 3 BC),[2] long before the paper was invented. At that time, people used thin materials, like leaves, silver foil, silk and even leather, to carve hollowed patterns for beauty. Later, when paper was invented, people realized that this material was easy to cut, store and discard. Thus paper became the major material for them to use, and people habitually called this artistry paper-cutting, or Jianzhi in Chinese. During Ming and Qing Dynasty (around 1368 – 1912), this artistry witnessed its most prosperous period. For over a thousand years, women and some folks have been making paper-cut as part of their leisure activity. They created different type of paper-cuttng and shared and passed this traditional craftsmanship to their children so that this traditional art style can be used in nowadays and more and more popular.