Symbol Generation and Gender Dynamics in the Construction of Cultural Identity in Paper-cutting in Northern Shaanxi

Abstract

Traditional paper-cutting motifs such as cave dwellings, the Yellow River, and waist drums, rooted in everyday life and folk belief in the Loess Plateau, convey rich cultural symbolism, social memory, and gendered meaning. Historically created and interpreted by women, these images are embedded in rituals and community life, yet their role in shaping identity and transmitting gendered knowledge remains underexplored. This study investigates how such motifs function as visual languages of belonging and cultural continuity. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and visual analysis in Shaanxi’s Ansai District and Zichang City, the research examines how these recurring symbols appear in festivals, life-cycle rituals, and shared spaces. They not only express collective emotion and historical narrative but also encode feminine labor, roles, and intergenerational knowledge, reinforcing women’s roles as cultural custodians. These motifs are dynamic, evolving in response to social change. Their selection and reinterpretation reflect individual creativity and communal negotiation, allowing for the reconfiguration of gendered meanings and local identities. The study advocates for heritage policies that move beyond commodification and digital replication, emphasizing community-based archiving, authorship recognition, and cultural preservation. It highlights the identity-forming potential of rural visual traditions and suggests further research into regional variation and symbolic transformation in folk imagery.