The paper cut-out, a very distinctive visual Chinese handicraft, is practiced by farming women all over China. However, one may be surprised to see that most of skilled hands at creating paper cut-outs are men in Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, where the Dai ethnic group resides.
Present throughout China and in various ethnic groups, the paper cut-out is a popular art integral to everyday lives. Though the paper cut-out requires very simple skills, its content is rich and reveals many local Chinese customs.
The Dai paper cut-out is the traditional folk art of the Dai ethnic group. It grew out of the paper streamers used in sacrificial ceremonies of the Dai, which then gradually evolved into a systematic technique under the influence of Buddhist culture and the culture of Central China, and were extensively applied in sacrifices, contributions to the Buddha, funerals, festivals and home decoration. Almost every Dai villager in Dehong can fashion paper cut-outs, the contents of which are full of life and local flavor. The paper cut-out is largely influenced by Buddhism, the religion of the ethnic group, especially in its use of stories from the sutra, folklore and local specialties.
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