Zigong Paper-Cutting:-Cutting:

　　
◎成都树德中学宁夏校区高三（9）班刘美萱

　　In the southeastern corner of the Sichuan Basin, Zigong paper-cutting tells the city’s thousand-year story through its unique artistic language. Originating in the Ming Dynasty, it inherited the bold vigor of the north while blending the delicate grace of the south, forming a style where thick and thin lines intertwine and voids complement solids. On red paper, artisans turn salt-well derricks into lattice motifs and salt crystals into floral patterns, each stroke reflecting deep affection for their land.
　　Zigong paper-cutting is inseparable from the Lantern Festival, adding soul and vitality to the“City of a Thousand Lights”. It also entered daily life: window grilles, wedding characters, and harvest motifs all carry people’s hopes for happiness.
　　Its vitality lies in craftsmanship passed down through generations. Fire-painting masters wield hot irons as brushes, controlling temperature to create gradients from dawn-like gold to dusk-like brown, as if fixing the heat of salt wells onto paper. Knife work, meanwhile, provides structure and form: the most refined is“double-sided cutting”, where two identical sheets of rice paper are cut simultaneously. When held to the light, dinosaur skeletons and patterns align perfectly, making ancient creatures dance in shadow and glow.
　　“Paper-cutting is a dance on the tip of the knife; every cut must come from the heart.”says Master Shen Chenglin，the Provincial-level Inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Zigong Paper-Cutting. His words echo the perseverance of elder craftsmen, who follow traditional procedures from paper selection to mounting. It is the precision of the knife and the warmth of fire together that give this ancient art its unique vitality.
　　Rooted in salt wells and lanterns, enriched by dinosaur culture and modern design, Zigong paper-cutting records the past while envisioning the future. In the symphony of scissors and fire, this ancient craft shines anew.

译文自贡剪纸：刀与火的艺术交响

　　在四川盆地的东南隅，自贡剪纸以独特的艺术语言讲述着这座城市的千年故事。自贡剪纸起源于明代，既承袭北方的粗犷豪放，又融入江南的细腻婉约，逐渐形成了粗细线条交织、虚实相生的风格。匠人们在红纸上挥刀运剪，将盐井天车化作井架纹，把盐结晶幻化为卤花图案，每一道线条都寄托着他们对这片土地的深情。
　　自贡剪纸还与灯会紧密相连，为“千灯之城”自贡增添灵魂与灵动；它也走进寻常人家，窗花、喜字与吉祥图案都寄托着人们对幸福的期盼。
　　自贡剪纸因代代相传的精湛技艺而生生不息。火绘艺人执烙铁如笔，调控温度，使纸面呈现由浅金到深褐的层次，仿佛把盐井地火的热度凝固于纸上。刀工则赋予作品骨架与形态：精妙的“双面剪纸”要求匠人在两层宣纸上同步运刀。透光时，恐龙骨架与纹饰正反重合，仿佛远古生灵在光影间翩然起舞。
　　“剪纸是刀尖上的舞蹈，每一刀都要走心。”省级非遗自贡剪纸代表性传承人沈成林的这句话，道出了匠人的坚守。老艺人恪守剪、刻、凿、镂等工序，从选纸到装裱，每一步都凝聚着心血。正是刀的精准与火的温度相映成辉，才让这门古老的艺术焕发独特生命力。
　　扎根于盐井与灯会，因恐龙文化与现代设计而丰盈，自贡剪纸记录过去，也描绘未来。在刀与火的交响中，这门技艺正焕发新的光彩。
　　（指导教师：成都树德中学宁夏校区 魏敏）