June 26, 2008
Chinese paper cuttings at Suzzallo
There are chase scenes in Room 102 of Suzzallo Library just now. And kite flying and wrestling on horseback and tugs of war and ball games and other feats of athleticism and daring.
All elaborately cut from red, blue and black paper and mounted under glass for visitors to view.
It’s a traveling exhibit from the People’s Republic of China titled Cutting Ribbons for the Olympics: Exhibition of Chinese Folk Sport Paper-Cuts, created and loaned to the UW by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and cosponsored on campus by UW Libraries. The exhibit also is supplemented by colorful paper caricatures from the UW’s own East Asia Library. And along the walls are large color photos from the Olympic Torch Relay in San Francisco.
Zhijia Shen, director of the East Asia Library, who grew up in China, explained the images and their importance. “It is an exhibit on a traditional Chinese folk art, paper cutting, tracing back almost two thousand years. It’s about folk sports of various ethnic groups in China, and it is developed to add a Chinese cultural touch to the celebration of the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” Shen wrote in an e-mail. The Olympics will be held in Beijing from Aug. 8 to 24.
The different paper-cut illustrations represent activities and sports that are traditional to various ethnic groups in China, she said. “You see different ethnic groups all over China.” For instance, a cutting about archery is from the Naxi ethnic group; another called “Drum drag” is from the Miao group; and cuttings titled “Girl Chasing” (in which young people meet and compete on horseback) and “Fish Catching” are from the Kazak ethnic group.
Shen said paper cutting is also a traditional craft for children in China, and she did it herself as a child. “There are different styles, some more abstract and some more realistic” she said. Some are cut with scissors, others with blades — but all are fanciful, lively depictions of sports, performances and other activities in China. When using scissors, the work often involves folding the paper to cut out tiny details, she said; when cutting with blades, patterns are used.
Indeed, some of the images appear more representative than others. A cutting titled “Wrestling on Horseback” — where rivals try to push each other off their mounts — has a symmetrical feel, while “Fish Catching” depicts images of fishermen and fish seeming to swirl together toward the bottom of a river.
Some describe what seem like highly energetic encounters, aided by captions that help bring the action to life in the viewer’s mind. The cutting titled “Dong Ba Jump,” also by the Naxi ethnic group, states that the activity involves young men dressed in red jackets, white trousers and warrior helmets who jump on a table brandishing gleaming hatchets. “With the tinkling of bells and the flashing of the hatchets, the dancers jump and turn and attack or defend, displaying their boldness and bravery.”
Shen added that the East Asia Library “takes it as part of its mission to promote cultural understanding between the United States and the countries of East Asia. The exhibit is the first collaboration between the University Libraries and the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in a project to build cultural bridges. We hope the successful project will open a new era of such collaboration and partnership.”
Shen said paper cutting is still popular in China today, though perhaps on a more ceremonial level than before, due to the increase of high-tech games available to Chinese youth.
“The art of paper cutting is still very much alive in China and it is used for New Years celebrations, calendars, home decorations and so on.”
The exhibit was formally opened in a ceremony in Suzzallo on June 5, attended by representatives of UW administration, UW Libraries, Shen and Sun Jianjua, China’s Consul on Culture.
Diane Adachi, special assistant to the provost for international relationships and protocols, who was pivotal in arranging the exhibit, said in an e-mail, “Cultural diplomacy through cultural exchanges and programs in the arts helps build relations and understanding across borders and we appreciated the opportunity to work with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco and China’s ministry of Culture in bringing this exhibit to Seattle and the UW.”
She added, “We were able to extend our sincere condolences to Counselor Sun and to our colleagues and friends in Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province who have been devastated by the recent tragic events following the large magnitude earthquake that occurred last month. We have had close ties with Sichuan University since 2000 and have an ongoing program for UW students to study and do research in a variety of fields there. We have also recently opened a UW China Office to support our many faculty research interests and collaborations with institutions there.”
Cutting Ribbons for the Olympics: Exhibition of Chinese Folk Sport Paper-Cuts will be on display in Room 102 of Suzzallo Library through Aug. 3.
