Paper-cutting (Xu Zengnan paper-cutting, Lianshui paper-cutting, Jinhu paper-cutting) is an extension of the traditional art category of the third batch of representative projects of municipal intangible cultural heritage in Huai'an. Historical evolution Paper-cutting is a hollow art that gives people a sense of transparency and beautiful artistic enjoyment visually. The earliest paper-cutting works in my country were discovered in the 1950s by archaeologists in the Astana ancient tombs of the Northern Dynasties (386 AD to 581 AD) near the Gaochang site in the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang. They were made of hemp paper and were all folding paper-cutting. Their discovery provided physical evidence for the history of the formation of paper-cutting art in my country. In the Tang Dynasty, paper-cutting was in a period of great development. Du Fu's poem contained the sentence "Warm water washes my feet, paper-cutting calls my soul". The custom of calling souls with paper-cutting was already popular among the people at that time. In the Song Dynasty, the papermaking industry gradually matured, and there were many kinds of paper products, which provided conditions for the popularization of paper-cutting. For example, "fireworks" became folk gifts and "window flowers" were pasted on windows. The application scope of paper-cutting has gradually expanded. Jiangxi Jizhou Kiln uses paper-cutting as a pattern for ceramics, and makes ceramics more exquisite through glazing and firing. Folks also use paper-cutting to carve the skins of animals such as donkeys, cows, horses, and sheep into the shapes of shadow puppet characters. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the art of paper-cutting gradually matured and reached its heyday. The application scope of folk paper-cutting handicrafts is more extensive. For example, the floral decorations on folk lanterns, the patterns on fans, and the patterns of embroidery, etc., are all processed by using paper-cutting as decoration. The paper-cutting in Huai'an area was also introduced from other places during this period and took root and spread throughout the city. Basic content and main inheritors Paper-cutting is closely related to people's lives. Every time of the year and festival, people make paper-cutting to beautify the living environment and pray for good luck. The basic procedures are composition, design, and hands-on production. The raw materials are generally red paper, which means auspiciousness. The styles include window flowers, lamp flowers, wedding flowers, door paper, shoe flowers, curtain flowers, etc. The themes of creation include animals, characters, historical stories, current events, etc. The paper-cutting of Xu Zengnan in Qinghe District focuses on decoration, and the content involves series such as animals, characters, folk customs, and the twelve zodiac signs. In particular, the animal themes are very lifelike, and the works of horses are particularly outstanding. The cutting methods are varied and the ideas are novel. The works include "Three Horse Skills", "Bamboo Newspaper Peace", "Auspicious Tiger Welcomes Spring", "Daiyu Watching Flowers", etc. The paper-cutting of Xu Jialan in Lianshui combines the roughness of the north and the delicacy of the south. The lines of the works are simple, beautiful and smooth, and focus on expressing local customs, such as "Eight Scenic Spots of Lianshui" and "Five Islands Customs". The paper-cutting of Lu Gongxiang in Jinhu is simple in shape and cleverly connected. It pays attention to the changes in density and complexity. It has the characteristics of "flowers in flowers, topics in topics, and spirit in clumsiness". Its representative works are "Lotus Series" and "Farming Series". "Paper-cutting" has a strong local flavor and local characteristics. The creative themes come from life practice. It not only has a certain reference value for studying local folk customs, but also has a certain ornamental value and collection value.