With its origin in the Song Dynasty(960–1279)，the paper-cut of Foshan flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties and is now one of China’s fine traditional handicraft arts.As far back as the Ming Dynasty there was industrial production of the paper-cut. Large amounts of paper-cuts were sold to other parts of Guangdong Province and provinces of south-central and southwest China and exported to countries of Southeast Asia.
The paper-cut employs two methods of cutting with scissors and cutting with knives.There are many categories of the art and the most representative of these are those done with bronze foil.
Bronze-foil cutting is a unique art of Foshan.The material used in making this kind of“paper-cut”is not paper but bronze foil，a local specialty.Bronze foil is forged bronze，which is thinner than paper.This kind of handicraft is one of the most famous age-old handicrafts of Foshan.To make such a“paper-cut，”first，the artist cuts out a small part of the outer details of the design on the bronze foil and then uses a specially made small ballpoint chisel to cut out the round points and lines on the foil，according to the design，to form various patterns or human figures and then pastes paper of different colors to set them off.This kind of paper-cut has contrasting colors，a shiny pearl luster and glittering gold.Southerners are fond of using this paper-cut to decorate their rooms and utensils.Large amounts of bronze foil cuttings are used to decorate the front of firecrackers and fireworks.
The ballpoint chisel used to make the bronze foil cuttings is special.A thin chisel has one ball and a thick one may have 12 to 15；some are formed in a straight line，some in a curved line and others in a round circle.In execution，the bronze foil is plac on a block of hardwood and lightly tapped to form all kinds of patterns.
Foshan has a temperate and moist climate and it is not suitable for pasting paper-cuts on windowpanes，so the paper-cuts of Foshan have different uses from those of north China.They mostly appear on folk customs of weddings and funerals，birthdays and ceremonial events.People may also paste paper-cuts on everyday articles and toys as decorations and women may use paper-cuts to decorate fruit trays，candlesticks，and rice vats.
Paper-cuts of Northern Shaanxi Plateau
On the loess plateau，northern Shaanxi is one of the most important birthplaces of Chinese civilization，where many ancient fairy tales and legendary figures have emerged.It is a remote area that was hard to reach a long time ago and therefore difficult for foreign culture to spread in the region，so its ancient culture and arts have been preserved relatively intact.Paper-cuts of northern Shaanxi are called“living fossils”by experts，because they have inherited the ancient shapes and patterns，the philosophy of the yin and yang and the idea of worshipping human reproduction.The representative works include Child with Two Twisted Knots of Hair，Fish with a Human Face，Eagle Stamping on Rabbit，Snake Coiling on a Rabbit， Egret Carrying a Fish， and Fish Playing with Lotus.
The connotations and functions of the paper-cuts of northern Shaanxi mainly consist of three categories： worship of ancestors， human reproduction， and praying for happiness and safety.
Paper-cuts often feature images of frogs， snakes， fishes and legendary figures such as Fuxi，Nüwa，the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou.For instance，the images of Fuxi and Nüwa with their human heads and snake bodies appear frequently.
In the vast rural areas of northern Shaanxi，the bridal chambers of the newly married are found pasted with all kinds of paper-cuts，which have multiple formationsbut consistently adhere to the theme of worship of reproduction. For instance，the paper-cut of Fish Playing with Lotus represents love and reproduction，in which the fish represents males and the lotus represents females.
The fish and lotus are inseparable and the fish biting lotus-pods results in lotus seeds，namely，children.
The theme of praying for safety appears even more frequently in paper-cuts of northern Shaanxi，such as the patterns of bats，birds and flowers，treasure chests，evil-warding tigers，and sweeper children，who drive away ghosts，and the Chinese characters that mean“inviting riches and treasures，”and“wealth，rank and surplus.”
Most paper-cuts come fr om r ural women and mainly consist of single colors.They are of simple and plain shapes with a strong，unpretentious local flavor，and reflect their customs.In searching for their son’s prospective wife the parents first ask whether the potential daughter-in-law is dexterous. Being “dexterous” means being able to do paper-cuts and embroidery. The local people believe that a girl who can do paper-cuts well must be clever and the children she bears will be clever， also.
The folk paper-cut of northern Shaanxi is a popular handicraft.They are not only decorations in daily life but，more important，products of Chinese culture handed down from thousands of years ago that record the culture from past to present，with a vivid language and a lively history.