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剪纸（papercuts）
（Learn to spread China and Chinese cuIture in EngIish）
Papercuts: A World Created with Scissors
The papercut is a special folk art in China, with a history of nearly 1,000 years. The materials used are simple: ordinary paper and a pair of scissors (or a cutting knife). A skilled paper-cutting craftsperson cuts paper into designs like doing magic tricks. A piece of red paper is folded and then cut several times, before being unfolded into an attractive picture. Some craftspeople do not even set their eyes on what they are doing; they can even place a piece of paper inside a baggy sleeve and cut it into a beautiful раttеrn. Рареrсuttіng іѕ а tуре оf іmрrоvіѕеd (即兴创作) аrt wіth роwеrful ехрrеѕѕіоn:a papercut artist does not need a model picture to copy from, but relies on a pair of scissors to produce a work of art, each time with slight differences. Papercuts are very popular in rural areas.
In the city of Xian, Shaanxi Province, people once used paper instead of glass as window-covering. As white paper was monotonous and considered inauspicious（不吉祥）, clever and deft (灵巧的) young women started to cut pieces of red paper into joyous baby images or beautiful butterflies, which they put on the windows to add liveliness to ordinary windows.
In ancient China, people enjoyed the tradition of making and hanging lanterns for festivals and joyous occasions.The shapes of lanterns varied, from red lanterns hung midair, running-horse lanterns, lotus lanterns on the surface of water, and lion lanterns loved by children.People sometimes drew pictures on the lanterns but more often would prefer to paste papercuts of different patterns,which, set off by the lantern light, became even more vivid and interesting.
剪纸：剪刀创造的世界
剪纸是中国一种特殊的民间艺术，已有近千年的历史。使用的材料很简单：普通的纸和一把剪刀（或切割刀）。熟练的剪纸工匠像变魔术一样把纸剪成图案。一张红色的纸被折叠，然后切割几次，然后展开成一幅吸引人的画。有些工匠甚至不关注自己在做什么；他们甚至可以把纸放在宽松的袖子里，然后把它剪成一个漂亮的图案。
剪纸是一种极富表现力的即兴创作艺术。剪纸艺术家不需要模型图片来复制，而是依靠一把剪刀来制作艺术品，每次都略有不同。剪纸在农村地区非常流行。
在陕西省西安市，人们曾经用纸代替玻璃作为窗户的覆盖物。因为白纸单调乏味，被认为不吉祥，聪明和灵巧年轻女性开始把红色的纸剪成欢乐的婴儿图案或美丽的蝴蝶，再把这些图案贴在窗户上，为普通的窗户增添活力。
在中国古代，人们有制作和悬挂灯笼的传统，以庆祝节日和欢乐的时刻。灯笼的形状多种多样，有悬挂在半空中的红灯笼、奔跑的马灯、水面上的莲花灯和孩子们喜爱的狮子灯。人们有时在灯笼上画画，但更多的时候更喜欢张贴不同图案的剪纸，这些剪纸在灯笼的灯光下显得更加生动有趣。
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