Papercuts of the Dai Minority

Luxi City,Yunnan Province

The papercuts of the Dai Minority are mainly prevalent in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. Their origins can be traced back to the paper flags used in primitive sacrificial rituals. After hundreds of years of development, the papercuts are now used for sacrifices, to pray to Buddha, funerals, weddings and festivals, and home decorations. The contents vary from auspicious animals such as dragons and phoenixes, peacocks, elephants, and lions, to flowers like water lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, camellias, and cuckoos, to pavilions and temples as well as pagodas.