Date：2022.07.15
An Exploration on National Totem
In recent years, traditional Chinese folk arts, such as paper-cutting, New Year paintings, embroidery,
ceramics, kites, bamboo weaving, and lanterns, are making a comeback.
As one of the cradles of Chinese culture, Xunyi of the Shaanxi Province, where Ku Shulan (one of the
representative figures of Chinese folk paper-cutting) lived, is home to Yangshao and Banpo Underground
Historical Sites and statues etched in grottoes above ground, with their history spanning the Sui, the Tang,
and the Five Dynasties.
The Yellow River basin has fostered and nourished diverse traditional folk arts. Works by Ku Shulan, tinged
with totem elements paying homage to ancient civilization, are hailed as a living testament to national
culture. She sang a ballad while skillfully cutting out flowers, stars, the sun and the moon, trees,
streams, and beasts as she expertly wielded scissors in her hands.
Folk artist known on the Loess Plateau- the "Flower Pattern Cutting Lady"
—— Ku Shulan
—— Ku Shulan
Shulan (1920-2004), a native of Xunyi County, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, was one of the most prominent
artists of Chinese folk paper-cutting. In 1996, she was awarded by UNESCO as an "Outstanding Folk Art
Master".
"Compared with artistic gurus that enjoy international prestige, the
creations of folk artists, despite also being a resplendent pearl of artistic creation, are largely unheard
of."
— H•P•S Quote
【猫】
H·P·S Original Patterns
猫
Cat
Element Design
The body is positioned sideways, with a tilted head and bulb-like eyes that
take up a large part of the face, which is symmetrical and has left and right sides that mirror each
other. The surrounding body is decorated with auspicious text incorporating elements of the sun and the
moon, and embellished with acrylic colors.
The process of creating the [cat] element
H•P•S
Original Print Patterns
H•P•S
Original Print Patterns
民族
【透明石榴】
H·P·S Original Patterns
透明石榴
Element Design
The pomegranate is a symbol of more offspring and blessings in Chinese tradition. By drawing inspiration
from the expressiveness in Ku Shulan's works, such as transparent pomegranates and empty trees, the
pomegranate element features ripe fruit with clashing colors to magnify the contrasting effect between
points, lines, and surfaces, thereby yielding a vibrant visual effect.
The process of creating the [pomegranate]
element
H•P•S Original Print Patterns
H•P•S Original Print Patterns
图腾
【瓜】
H·P·S Original Patterns
瓜
Melon
Composition Design
Unlike the saturated colors and rich hues that are
prevalent in paper-cutting, this one adopts dark purple as the base, accompanied by "Daran (a traditional
Chinese color akin to dark red)" and "Xichi (a traditional Chinese color akin to crimson)", and dotted
with apricot white. The composition of the element is evenly distributed on a flat surface, using colors
to enhance the contrast between dots, lines, and surfaces.
Element Design
Inspired by Ku Shulan's habitual way of expressing plants, it features branches
that are stretched out in the shape of antlers to symbolize the extension of life.
H•P•S Original Print Patterns
The process of creating the [melon] element
灵感
【器物·烛台】
H·P·S Original Patterns
器物·烛台
Element Design
The linear, horizontal composition is based on the
characteristics of the
elements themselves.
Composition Design
Inspired by Ku Shulan's candlestick design, we have embellished it with dots and radiant decorative
lines, having the candlestick on the right to resemble a human face, making the pattern all the more
fascinating.
H•P•S Original Print Patterns
探索
翠连枝
Pieced together by scraps.
H•P•S Original Print Patterns
H•P•S Original Print Patterns
祥文集
Xiang wen ji
Composed of a serrated pattern, coin string pattern,
crescent pattern, polka dots, curtain pattern, irregular pattern, and crescent pattern.
"We always keep in mind that abundant folk culture is
the fertile soil to nourish art."
— H•P•S Quote
Paper-cutting is a millennial-old folk art in China, standing as a
living testament to the wisdom of Chinese people. Different from the paper-cutting of the past, Ku Shulan's
works feature a style of her own, which I prefer to call the art of "clip & paste painting", an evolution of
the existing paper-cutting techniques in terms of color, composition, and symbolism. Arguably, this art is her
own, and yet it cannot exist without the land where she was born and raised.
