Dancing Dolls on Painted Pottery and Paper-cut "Five Fairies" A representative work of Yangshao culture from the Neolithic Age was the dancing dolls on painted pottery unearthed from Sunjiazhai, Qinghai Daotong County in 1973. The main part of the picture was
three sets of five dolls, hand-in-hand. It was named "Dancing dolls", and interpreted as depiction of a dancing scene by some scholars. However, when I showed it to some grandmothers in northern Shaanxi, they called it "Fairies from five paths." They were fairies of
east, north, south, west and the center. It is a popular paper-cut in northern Shaanxi used in reviving spirits in
local customs. When kids get sick, the family would make "Fairies from five paths" paper-cut in yellow paper, pick it up with a willow twig and stroke it over the sick
body while mumbling something. Then, burn it and spread the ashes into a bowl of water; take the clothes of the kid to a five-way crossing to spill the water there; calling the name of the kid on the way to and back from the crossing. People also hang "Five fairies" paper-cut on the lintel to keep evils away from the house. The number of the dolls can be in five, seven, three or nine, always an odd number as the "yang" nature. Other times the dolls a re made of pumpkin seeds and black beans, as "Pumpkin seeds dolls," to be pasted inside the room.
