上证夜读｜卢雪：刀锋上的艺术传承 / Shanghai Securities Night Reading | Lu Xue: Artistic Inheritance on the Edge of a Blade

从6岁学习剪纸至今，我已与刀和笔相伴近50年。50年来，我痴迷于指尖上的艺术。在我看来，从艺术剪纸到镂绘艺术，不仅是美丽的图案，还能够讲述故事、治愈心灵、给人力量。

今年，我潜心数十年的《山海经》系列镂绘作品即将迎来首展。回首过去，我感谢艺术，让我的人生更精彩，也让中华文化能够更美好地传承。

Having learned paper-cutting since the age of six, I have been accompanied by knives and brushes for nearly 50 years. Over these five decades, I have been deeply devoted to the art at my fingertips. In my eyes, from artistic paper-cutting to hollow-carving art, the works are not just beautiful patterns—they tell stories, heal the soul, and empower people.

This year, my Classic of Mountains and Seas series, a body of hollow-carving works I have devoted decades to creating, will hold its inaugural exhibition. Looking back, I am grateful to art for enriching my life and enabling the splendid inheritance of Chinese culture.

创作作品

小时候，大人们常常说我是一个“心灵手巧”的小女孩。

我想这是我继承了的母亲的基因吧。那个年代，每一个母亲都必须为家人们缝缝补补。儿时的我，无论是衣服、鞋子和袜子，都是巧手的母亲亲手缝制。经常会看到她的一些别出心裁的创新、创意的裁制，她有时也绘画和绣花。年幼的我常常看到她画花样、剪花样、贴到绣片上绣花……，母亲的手艺在十里八乡小有名声。

剪纸起源于春秋战国时期，在中国有着广泛的群众基础。2006年，经国务院批准，剪纸技艺被列入第一批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。

我的剪纸之路，源于童年院子里的一只大公鸡。那时我不到6岁，看着院子里的大公鸡，不知不觉就画下了它，然后学着妈妈的样子，拿起小剪刀，把它剪了下来。妈妈回来，看到我放到桌子上的作品，摸着我的头笑着说：“剪得不错！”

母亲的认可，让我有了追逐的勇气。从那时起，我就痴迷于剪纸这门“手艺”。在儿时的我看来，把一张纸折叠几下，然后通过简单几剪，打开就是美丽的花、漂亮的人，这种精妙的布局简直是“魔法”，也是我们中国文化中的“事半功倍”。

六、七岁的时候，我就能够剪出很多漂亮的作品。我剪出的很多东西，会被邻居、亲戚争相拿走欣赏。

我喜欢中国的国画和篆刻，也喜欢西方的油画和雕塑。十多岁时，在母亲的鼓励下，我开始到各地去拜师学艺，用各种技法探索这门传统艺术的创新表达。

When I was little, people often called me a “clever and deft” little girl.

I suppose I inherited my mother’s talent. In those days, every mother had to sew and mend for the family. All my clothes, shoes and socks in childhood were handmade by my skilled mother. I often watched her create ingenious and original designs. She also painted and did embroidery. I would see her drawing patterns, cutting them out, and pasting them onto silk for embroidery… Her craftsmanship was well-known far and wide.

Paper-cutting originated in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods and enjoys wide popular support in China. In 2006, with the approval of the State Council, paper-cutting was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

My paper-cutting journey began with a rooster in the yard when I was under six years old. I looked at the rooster, drew it unconsciously, then picked up small scissors and cut it out just like my mother. When she came home and saw my work on the table, she patted my head and smiled: “Nice cut!”

My mother’s approval gave me the courage to pursue this art. From then on, I became obsessed with paper-cutting. To my young mind, folding a piece of paper and making just a few cuts to reveal beautiful flowers and figures was simply magic. It also embodied the Chinese wisdom of “achieving twice the result with half the effort.”

By the age of six or seven, I was already able to create many exquisite paper-cuts. My works were often taken and cherished by neighbors and relatives.

I love traditional Chinese painting and seal carving, as well as Western oil painting and sculpture. Encouraged by my mother in my teens, I began to study under masters across the country, exploring innovative expressions of this traditional art through diverse techniques.

工作中

17岁时，我在家乡举办了首次个人剪纸作品展。虽然收获了大量赞誉，但是我的困惑也随之而来。

“所见成所剪”，是彼时我的创作方式。春花夏雨、秋叶冬雪，四时景色在我的刀锋中逐步展现，惟妙惟肖、美丽绝伦。但是我总觉得，这些还不够。

多年来，剪纸很多时候都是以窗花的形式出现，这给了大家一个固有的观念，以为剪纸就是剪窗花。其实，剪纸还可以与文化相融合，让技术变成真正的艺术。

我开始从中国传统文化、大好河山里吸取养分。中国古典名著中一个个人物在我的脑海中逐步成型，我想，我要通过我的艺术，让他们站立到世人眼中。

我是山东人，对孔子的敬仰根植在我的血脉中。于是我从以孔子文化为代表的中国传统文化入手，把孔子与其弟子的故事用艺术剪纸的形式进行呈现。我创作的《孔子》和《孔子圣迹图》等作品被首都博物馆收藏。

At the age of 17, I held my first solo paper-cut exhibition in my hometown. Although I received abundant praise, confusion soon followed.

At that time, my creation followed the principle of “what I see is what I cut”. Spring flowers, summer rains, autumn leaves and winter snow—the four seasons came to life vividly and exquisitely under my blade. Yet I always felt something was missing.

For many years, paper-cutting has often been regarded merely as window decorations, forming a fixed impression that this is all it is. In fact, paper-cutting can be integrated with culture, transforming craftsmanship into genuine art.

I began to draw inspiration from traditional Chinese culture and our magnificent rivers and mountains. Characters from Chinese classical classics gradually took shape in my mind. I wanted to bring them to life for the world through my art.

As a native of Shandong, reverence for Confucius is rooted in my blood. I therefore started with traditional Chinese culture represented by Confucianism, depicting the stories of Confucius and his disciples through artistic paper-cutting. My works such as Confucius and Illustrations of Confucius’ Life have been collected by the Capital Museum.

《孔子/Confucius》

我在黄河沿线和泰山进行采风，创作了一系列以山水为主题的镂绘艺术作品，用大量艺术镂绘派别作品表达祖国的历史之美、山河之美、社会之美。

十多岁时，我偶然得到了一本《山海经》的书，从此开始对《山海经》如同着魔一般。这本书简直像“打开了新世界的大门”，怎么会有这么神奇的故事和人，怎么会有这么奇妙的人文地理、奇珍异兽？

《山海经》魂牵梦绕在我心中四十多年，历经多年的学习和研究，近年来我精心进行了《山海经》系列作品的创作。我查阅了从古装本到现代装订版的许多书籍，并参考了大量有关《山海经》的作品。

《山海经》总共十八卷，我梳理后，分为六大板块进行创作。

第一大板块是创世纪篇，包括《盘古开天》《女娲造人》《女娲补天》《后羿射日》《精卫填海》《夸父逐日》《嫦娥奔月》《大禹治水》等传统神话故事，这些故事是我们民族及精神的由来。第二大板块是神兽篇，盘点了《山海经》中的神、仙、灵、鬼、怪，包括吉祥的、凶恶的、善良的、萌趣的等。第三大板块是山海篇，涵盖了《山海经》中的501座大山，以及发源自大山的河流。第四大板块为植物篇，《山海经》中的植物也包含了如今许多中草药的药理。第五大板块是方国篇，包括《大人国》《小人国》《女人国》《男人国》《丈夫国》《君子国》《羽民国》等众多奇妙国度。第六大板块是山系篇，把《山海经》中的地理位置、山脉走向等一一呈现。

I conducted fieldwork along the Yellow River and at Mount Tai, creating a series of hollow-carving artworks themed on landscapes. Through numerous works in my artistic hollow-carving style, I express the beauty of our motherland’s history, magnificent mountains and rivers, and vibrant society.

In my early teens, I accidentally obtained a copy of The Classic of Mountains and Seas, and I have been utterly fascinated by it ever since. The book was like opening a door to a brand-new world. How could there be such magical tales, figures, extraordinary geography, and rare mythical creatures?

The Classic of Mountains and Seas has haunted my heart for more than 40 years. After decades of study and research, I have carefully created the Classic of Mountains and Seas series in recent years. I consulted numerous editions from ancient hand-copied volumes to modern printed versions, and referenced a vast number of related artworks.

The book consists of 18 volumes, which I categorized into six major sections for creation:

The first section is the Genesis Chapter, including classic myths such as Pangu Separates Heaven and Earth, Nüwa Creates Human Beings, Nüwa Mends the Sky, Houyi Shoots the Suns, Jingwei Fills the Sea, Kua Fu Chases the Sun, Chang’e Flies to the Moon, and Yu Tames the Flood. These stories form the origin of our nation and its spirit.The second section is the Mythical Beasts Chapter, featuring gods, immortals, spirits, ghosts and monsters from the text—auspicious, ferocious, kind, cute and playful alike.The third section is the Mountains and Seas Chapter, covering all 501 major mountains and the rivers originating from them.The fourth section is the Plants Chapter, in which many plants recorded contain the pharmacology of today’s Chinese herbal medicines.The fifth section is the Kingdoms Chapter, including the Giant Kingdom, Dwarf Kingdom, Women’s Kingdom, Men’s Kingdom, Husbandmen Kingdom, Gentlemen’s Kingdom, Feathered People’s Kingdom, and other fantastical lands.The sixth section is the Mountain Systems Chapter, presenting the geographical locations and mountain ranges recorded in the classic one by one.

《山海经》神兽之酸与

Suanyu: The Divine Beast in The Classic of Mountains and Seas

在创作《山海经》系列的时候，我也有过创作瓶颈。《山海经》内容丰富，每座山、每条河都有其独特之处。我做到第三四百座山的时候，已经觉得有些困难了，就需要更细地去挖掘其特点。

典籍中只是说，它多金、多玉、多矿石，或者只是讲述了一个关于山的故事。那么这样的故事中的山究竟是怎样的？是高耸还是矮小？是雄伟还是秀丽？这些都需要阅历和想象力，来绘制呈现出我心目中的上古山河。

I also encountered creative bottlenecks while working on the Classic of Mountains and Seas series. The book is rich in content, with every mountain and river possessing unique features. When I reached around three to four hundred mountains, I began to find it challenging and had to dig deeper into their distinctive characteristics.

The ancient classics only mention that a mountain is rich in gold, jade, or minerals, or simply tell a brief story about it. What was the mountain in such a really like? Was it towering or low? Majestic or delicate? All these required experience and imagination to depict the ancient mountains and rivers as I envisioned them.

《山海经》之日月山

Mount Ri Yue: A Sacred Peak in The Classic of Mountains and Seas

《山海经》是属于中国人的神话，也是中国神话体系的根源，更是我们中华文化的一个重要源头。我期待观众可以通过这些作品，更直观地认识到祖国的地大物博、海阔天空。

The Classic of Mountains and Seas is the mythology of the Chinese people, the root of China’s mythological system, and a vital source of our Chinese culture. I hope that through these works, the audience can gain a more intuitive understanding of our motherland’s vast territory, abundant resources and boundless magnificence.

剪纸，是一门技艺，而技艺则需要创新性地发展和转化。

为了表现孔子和孔子的学说，我深入实地，走进孔府、孔庙，找来有关孔子的石刻、木刻和彩绘，将自己的所见所感运用“阴阳技法”进行艺术创作。

传统剪纸，分为阴剪和阳剪。阴剪是指剪掉结构轮廓线，留下大部分块面，能够体现作品的厚重感；而阳剪是指剪掉大的块面，留住结构轮廓线，看上去则更加灵动、空灵。我在制作作品《孔子》时，创新性地使用了“阴阳技法”。脸用阴剪，让孔子的面部呈现山峰的厚重感，看上去充满力量；手用阳剪，因为手的动作更灵动，更有指明道理之感。

仅仅是“剪”，在我看来还不够丰富，尤其是在进行宏大题材创作的时候，有点过于单薄。

以奥运会等大型活动为例，在制作作品时需要更多的设计感、需要找到艺术与体育相碰撞出的力量感，这个时候就形成了艺术剪纸——用艺术的造型、剪纸的形式进行艺术呈现。

《山海经》系列作品一共1347幅，我认为必须使用多种色彩和构图进行渲染，让艺术的层次感更加丰富，将其更加立体、鲜活地进行呈现。于是我将艺术剪纸与中国工笔写意、西方油画相结合，开创了镂绘艺术这一流派。

Paper-cutting is a craft, and crafts require innovative development and transformation.

To portray Confucius and his teachings, I conducted in-depth field research, visiting the Confucius Family Mansion and Confucius Temple. I studied stone carvings, wood carvings and painted murals related to Confucius, and applied what I saw and felt into artistic creation using the “Yin-Yang Technique”.

Traditional paper-cutting consists of Yin cutting and Yang cutting.Yin cutting removes the outline and retains large solid areas, expressing a sense of depth and weight.Yang cutting removes large solid areas and preserves the outline, creating an elegant, ethereal effect.

In my work Confucius, I innovatively applied the Yin-Yang Technique:the face uses Yin cutting to convey the solemn weight of a mountain, full of strength;the hands use Yang cutting for agility and the gesture of guiding truth.

In my view, “cutting” alone is not sufficiently expressive, especially for grand themes—it can appear too simple.

For major events such as the Olympic Games, works demand stronger design and the dynamic collision between art and sports. This gave birth to artistic paper-cutting: artistic expression through sculptural forms in the medium of paper-cutting.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas series comprises 1,347 works. I believed they required rich colors and diverse compositions to achieve greater depth, making them three-dimensional and vivid. I therefore integrated artistic paper-cutting with Chinese gongbi and freehand painting, as well as Western oil painting, and founded the Hollow-Carving Art School.

《山海经》之君子国

The Land of the Gentlemen in The Classic of Mountains and Seas

镂绘艺术是一个文化符号，是一种艺术形式。所谓“镂”是镂刻、镂雕、镂空（剪、刻、燃）；“绘”是主题设计、主题构图、绘画、绘制、绘色。先绘画绘制后再镂刻、镂雕、镂空，再绘制、绘色并合二为一，称之为镂绘艺术。

镂艺有处恰是无，绘制无处恰是有。前期要“绘”，首先用中国画的工笔写意去绘画；中期要“镂”，用剪、雕、刻、剔、燃；后期继续“绘”，要将作品进行着色。着色时也要考虑到单色和多色相结合，吸收西方油画的色彩带来的温暖和温度，以及中国画泼墨带来的灵动与写意。

镂绘艺术将绘画融合进传统的剪纸与雕刻，中西方文化传统与现代技艺相融合，让作品更加鲜活、靓丽和通透。

艺术不应该有固定的模式，其表现形式都是相通的。因此，我也进行了雕塑等艺术形式的探索，逐渐把艺术延伸到了城市景观设计、工艺品设计、服装设计、动画设计和特色教育之中。目前我已有多个雕塑作品摆放在城市、星级酒店、大中小学校和美丽乡村中。美，应该随处可见；艺术，要应用于实践。

Hollow-carving art is both a cultural symbol and an art form. The character “Lou” means carving, engraving and hollowing (by cutting, carving or burning). The character “Hui” refers to theme design, composition, drawing, painting and coloring.

The process begins with painting and design, followed by carving, engraving and hollowing, then further painting and coloring. The integration of these two parts is known as hollow-carving art.

Where there is hollowing, presence lies in absence;where there is painting, absence lies in presence.

In the early stage, I focus on “Hui” (painting), using the gongbi (meticulous) and freehand styles of Chinese painting.In the middle stage, I emphasize “Lou” (hollowing), employing cutting, carving, engraving, trimming and burning.In the final stage, I return to “Hui” (painting) for coloring, combining monochrome and multiple hues. I absorb the warmth and depth of Western oil painting, as well as the agility and freehand spirit of Chinese ink wash painting.

Hollow-carving art integrates painting into traditional paper-cutting and sculpture, blending Chinese and Western cultures as well as traditional and modern techniques, making works more vivid, brilliant and translucent.

Art should not be confined to fixed forms; its expressions are interconnected. Therefore, I have also explored sculpture and other art forms, gradually expanding into urban landscape design, craft design, fashion design, animation design and featured art education.

To date, many of my sculptures have been installed in cities, star hotels, schools and beautiful rural villages.Beauty should be everywhere, and art must be applied to life.

城市雕塑：灵魂的香味

Urban Sculpture: The Fragrance of the Soul

除了《山海经》，我们的祖先还给我们留下了大量的文化文明。我们中国的传统文化如此丰富、丰厚、有能量，所以，要让我们的传统文化出海，让更多的外国人看到。

从23岁起，我就参加了一些国际文化艺术交流活动。多年来，我到访过几十个国家和地区进行中国文化艺术的推广，也在国内外进行过多次个人艺术作品展，作品被世界40多个国家的艺术馆、美术馆、博物馆以及多位国际名人所收藏。

Apart from The Classic of Mountains and Seas, our ancestors have left us a vast wealth of culture and civilization. China’s traditional culture is so rich, profound and powerful that we must bring it to the world and let more people overseas understand it.

Since the age of 23, I have participated in various international cultural and art exchange events. Over the years, I have visited dozens of countries and regions to promote Chinese culture and art, and held many solo exhibitions both at home and abroad. My works have been collected by art galleries, museums and prominent figures in more than 40 countries.

联合国收藏作品：光芒万丈

Work Collected by the United Nations: Radiant Glory

很多国外名人、名家都对我的作品赞不绝口，也对我作品中展示的中国传统文化心生向往。外国人在我的展览上看到名著系列时，经常问“这个人物是谁”“她有怎样的故事”？我想，我们作为艺术家，有责任也有义务告诉更多人中国文化中的故事，他们越是不了解，越是有必要让他们知道。

将中西方文化融合，我创作了《安徒生童话》系列作品。112幅作品被丹麦安徒生博物馆收藏，我也同时获得了丹麦女王颁发的“丹麦国旗骑士勋章”。当我访问丹麦哥本哈根时，市政大厅内外为我们一行升起中国国旗，民族自豪感、文化自豪感油然而生。我想，这是中国传统文化艺术带给我的这种荣誉，它属于中国。 

Many foreign celebrities and masters highly praise my works and feel drawn to the traditional Chinese culture they convey. When visitors at my exhibitions see my classical literature series, they often ask: “Who is this character?” “What is her story?”

I believe we artists have the responsibility and mission to tell China’s cultural stories to the world. The less they understand, the more necessary it is for them to know.

By integrating Chinese and Western cultures, I created the Andersen’s Fairy Tales series. 112 works were collected by the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Denmark. I was also awarded the Order of the Dannebrog (Knight’s Cross) by Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark.

During my visit to Copenhagen, the Chinese national flag was raised inside and outside Copenhagen City Hall in our honor. A deep sense of national pride and cultural pride welled up in my heart. This honor was bestowed upon me by China’s traditional culture and art, and it belongs to China.

丹麦骑士勋章颁授现场

The Award Ceremony of the Order of the Dannebrog (Knight’s Cross) in Denmark

文化是国家和民族的灵魂。我期待我们的传统文化能够多元、多途径、更加立体地走出国门，让更多的外国人看到华夏文明的厚重与强大。

近年来，我也将艺术带入了校园，编写的美育教材、教程，陆续走进了全国的一些大、中、小学课堂。对于幼儿、学生而言，艺术剪纸是一门有趣的学科。我们在做课程设计时，力求更加立体、可应用。比如我们会教学生剪一朵美丽的花、一枚漂亮的耳坠、璀璨的灯饰等。

Culture is the soul of a country and a nation. I hope our traditional culture will go global in diverse, multi-channel and more three-dimensional ways, allowing more people overseas to see the profundity and strength of Chinese civilization.

In recent years, I have also brought art into campuses. My compiled aesthetic education textbooks and courses have been gradually adopted in classrooms of primary, secondary and universities nationwide.

For children and students, artistic paper-cutting is a fascinating subject. In curriculum design, we strive to make it three-dimensional and practical. For example, we teach students to cut beautiful flowers, elegant earrings, brilliant lighting decorations and more.

校园讲课

Teaching on Campus

把传统的文化通过剪纸手法具象、灵活地呈现，孩子们就有了兴趣，寓教于乐地汲取了传统文化艺术的养分。而如同童年的我一样，兴趣是最好的老师。只有更多的青少年对手工有兴趣，这一门传统技艺才能够有效传承，古老的剪纸艺术之花能够开遍世界各个角落！