paper cutting (N/M)

One of China's most popular folk arts is papercutting. Archaeological finds trace the tradition back to the 6th century; it is supposed that the beginnings of papercutting were even a few centuries earlier. Papercuttings are used for religious purposes, for decoration and as patterns.
As is still partly the case outside of China, various paper objects and figures used to be buried with the dead or were burned at the funeral ceremony. Papercuttings, which were usually of symbolic character, were part of this ritual. They also often served as decorations for sacrificial offerings to the ancestors and gods.