剪纸是中国传统手工艺艺术之一，它与纸张有着几乎同样悠久的历史。据说汉朝纸张发明后不久，就有妇女用纸剪成各种花形图案贴在鬓角，作为一种装饰。后来，有人在节日把剪纸贴在大门和窗户上，大家争相仿效，很快流传开来。因为剪纸不用花多少钱就能带来节日的气氛，受到普通百姓的喜爱，逐渐发展成一门独特的艺术，主要在农村中流行，尤其受到不太出门的妇女们的喜爱，所以大多数剪纸艺术家都是女性。她们用一把普通的剪刀就能把一张普通的红纸变成精美的作品，无论是花鸟还是人物，都栩栩如生，充分表达了她们对生活的热爱和向往。
Paper cutting is one of the art forms of traditional Chinese handcraft. It has a history almost as long as paper itself. It was said that not long after the invention of paper in the Han Dynasty, some women began to cut paper into different flowery patterns and pasted them on their temples as part of facial ornament. Later some people pasted such paper cuttings on their gates and windows during festivals. Soon others followed, and paper cutting spread far and wide. Paper cutting was very popular among the common people because it did not cost much but could create some festival atmosphere. As a result, it soon developed into a unique art, which was most popular in the countryside, especially liked by women, who seldom went out of their homes. That is why most paper cutting artists are women. With just a pair of scissors, they can cut an ordinary piece of red paper into fine paper cutting work. Everything they produce—flowers, birds, or people—is very lifelike and fully expresses their love and expectation of a good life.
