Paper-cutting is a highly representative art form in Chinese folk arts and crafts, and zodiac paper-cutting is a unique category within this tradition. Zodiac paper-cutting comes in a variety of styles, and as society has evolved, it has gradually entered the realm of modern art.
Folk arts and crafts are the artistic expression and material embodiment of folk customs in daily life, serving as an artistic representation of traditional practices that universally carry a simple, genuine, warm, and natural atmosphere of everyday living. In the realm of folk art, the art of paper-cutting has always held a significant place.
As early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties period in China, the art of paper-cutting had already become quite mature. Its materials were easy to obtain, costs were low, results were immediate, and it had broad adaptability. Consequently, paper-cutting encompassed rich content and a wide range of themes. Anything seen, heard, or imagined could be cut into paper, making it widely popular among the people. In folk traditions, the method of combining the twelve zodiac animals with the Earthly Branches was commonly used to mark years. Even ordinary people with little formal education understood how to use the zodiac animals to calculate years. Thus, the twelve animals frequently appeared in daily life. In traditional paper-cutting, auspicious images such as the big red rooster symbolizing good fortune, the dragon giving birth to a noble son representing hopes for a child's success, and the snake coiled around a rabbit signifying wishes for happiness, all feature the twelve zodiac animals. Furthermore, the zodiac is an intangible cultural existence, while paper-cutting is a tangible form of expression. By using paper-cutting, the twelve zodiac animals can be both exaggerated in form and rendered with a simple, ancient charm, representing a perfect fusion of two folk cultural traditions. As an important component of folk culture, zodiac culture has always been a traditional theme in folk paper-cutting art, and it has also produced a large number of exquisite works.
There are many compositional forms for zodiac animals in paper-cutting. One type is the "single portrait" style, where each piece features only one animal, such as the popular zodiac series in Pingyao, Shanxi. Another type pairs two animals together, with the most common being "snake coiled around rabbit," where the snake's head faces the rabbit's head and its body coils around the rabbit. In folk traditions across Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu, the saying "snake coiled around rabbit brings wealth" is widely circulated, and this paper-cutting is often used to bless marriages as a symbol of good fortune. There is also the "family portrait" style, where all twelve zodiac animals are arranged in sequence, each vivid and lifelike, making them highly endearing. Additionally, compositions include zodiac animals alongside human figures, which take two forms: the general depiction of humans with zodiac animals, and the beast-headed human-bodied form inherited from primitive totem worship. For example, in the twelve zodiac paper-cuttings of northern Shaanxi, if the upper part shows a child holding a lotus and the lower part shows a dragon, it represents the Dragon zodiac sign; if the lower part shows an ox, it represents the Ox zodiac sign.
Folk paper-cutting always utilizes the above four simple compositional methods to cleverly highlight the attributes of the zodiac animals, distinguishing them from ordinary animal patterns. Of course, even for paper-cuttings of the same zodiac theme, differences in local customs lead to varying emphases. For example, in the "Rat Marrying a Bride" theme, paper-cuttings from the Gaomi area of Shandong Province particularly emphasize clean and clear lines; Shanxi's folk paper-cutting of "Rat Marrying a Bride" depicts the wedding procession, while Shaanxi's version presents a lively wedding banquet scene. Additionally, there are differences in the number of characters: some processions consist of twenty-five rats, others thirty-six, and some even have sixty-eight, creating a bustling and lively spectacle with a multitude of rats.
Through the accumulation of time, the art of zodiac paper-cutting has continuously innovated. Today, this art form has long since stepped out of small farm courtyards and entered the grand halls of modern design: trademark advertisements, product packaging design, interior decoration, fashion design, newspaper and magazine decorative artwork, stage art, film and television animation, and many other artistic fields where the beautiful influence of zodiac paper-cutting can be seen. This constantly evolving art of zodiac paper-cutting is increasingly becoming an important spiritual treasure for the people and a cultural gem of the Chinese nation.
Further Reading
A collection of renowned folk paper-cutting masters specializing in Chinese zodiac art.
Chinese zodiac paper-cutting is originally a form of folk art. With a pair of scissors, a piece of red paper, and skillful hands, countless masters of zodiac paper-cutting have emerged: Li Xiuying from the paper-cutting family in Pingyao, Shanxi, created the "single-person portrait" style zodiac series, where larger figures represent smaller ones with vivid realism; Bai Fenglian, a master folk paper-cutter from the Yan'an region, produced the "family portrait" style zodiac series, which is remarkably lifelike and ingeniously crafted; Dou Guishu, a folk paper-cutting artist from Doumazhuang Village in Hebi Jixiang Town, Heshan District, created the "mixed-style" "Fifty Double Happinesses and Twelve Zodiac Animals" design, which is exceptionally vivid, exquisite, and unparalleled. All of these can be considered precious folk artworks.