In the Hmong Song Poetry, it is sung, "The aunt calls the sister-in-law,reminding her not to forget the needles and thread, while the sister-in-lawcalls the aunt, reminding her not to forget the papercuts." Papercutting servesas the foundational blueprint for the aesthetic patterns that have beenpreserved through centuries of Hmong culture.
Situated along the winding course ofthe Qingshui River, Shidong has, sinceancient times, nurtured a bustling market culture through its thriving dockeconomy. Every five days, residents from the surrounding Hmong villages.within a radius of ten miles, would gather here for a grand market festival.
Today, the Shidong market is divided into three main areas: the old ShidongStreet, the levee built along the riverbank, and the old dock by the river. Theentire market stretches for several kilometers, Shidong also boasts a grandrailway suspension bridge that spans the Qingshui River. During market days,standing on the bridge and looking down at the dock, the colorful stalls, likescattered stars, are spread out along the riverbank, with bright red hues beingthe most striking, woven together like a vibrant painting across the banks ofthe Qingshui River.
It was at this market that we encountered “Aunt Ying." At her stall werevarious exquisite papercut works, each intricately combining figures, animalsplants, and patterns, as though silently telling ancient and mysterious stories.Aunt Ying sat leisurely behind her stall. When a customer approached, shewould enthusiastically call out, introducing her works. But when her stall wasquiet, she would take out a small pair of scissors and quietly cut into the redpaper.
At first, we were unsure of the purpose of these papercuts, thinking theyresembled the window decorations we often see. However, we soon realizedthat the patterns and symmetry were quite different and that they must have been incredibly difficult to cut. lt was only afler speaking with Aunt Yingthat we learned these papercuts serve as the foundational patterns for Hmongembroidery.
Hmong embroidery, a traditional handicraft passed down for millennia, is farmore complex and intricate than we had imagined. Hmong women do notdirectly embroider onto fabric, instead, they skillfully affix fabric andpapercuts together, using the papercut design as a guide. They then selectthread colors according to their preferences, embroidering the vibrantpatterns stitch by stitch, Just as in the Hmong Song Poetry, which recount theHmong people's migration across mountains and rivers, it is sung: "The auntcalls the sister-in-law, reminding her not to forget the needles and thread,while the sister-in-law calls the aunt, reminding her not to forget thepapercuts."
