Papercuts

The motifs depicted in the papercuts have symbolic meanings that convey auspicious sentiments. The pairing of two or more motifs often refer to a rebus and play upon the sound and meaning of words. For example 91/1128 represents a vase (‘ping’, the sound of which also means peace) with branches of peaches (symbolic of longevity) and refers to the Chinese phrase ‘Longevity and peace’ (Changshou lian pingan). Image-word play to convey auspicious meanings is an important aspect of Chinese folk culture and integral to the form and meaning of papercuts used to herald the New Year. Papercuts are pasted to windows to convey good wishes or prosperity at Chinese New Year. They vary in style from one region to another and may be cut from plain paper, usually auspicious red, or from white or light-coloured paper painted with dyes. Subjects are drawn from a large repertoire of traditional motifs. These papercuts were collected by Hedda Morrison in Peking during the 1930s.