Paper-cutting: Shanxi's amazing folk art

Located in the northeast frontier of Shanxi Province, Guangling county in Datong city covers an area of 1,283 square kilometers. It is in this small town that China's world-famous paper-cuttings originated.

Chinese paper-cutting demonstrates the principles of Chinese aesthetics, showing conceptions of the universe and life. The "Shanxi in the eyes of foreigners" tour brought us to the Paper-cutting Museum to experience the folk art up close.

According to the museum guide, paper-cutting portrays the essence of Chinese society in the colorful folk craft. Simple opera and folk customs are some of the main themes of Guangling paper-cuttings. Because of its bright colors, vivid portrayals and advanced cutting techniques, it has been listed in the catalogue of nationally protected non-material cultural heritage.

A wide variety of paper-cuttings grace the art gallery, depicting marriage customs, praying for life, characters, magnificent mountains and other subjects. Once we entered the museum, we were attracted by all kinds of paper-cutting, taking photos and asking the exhibition guide about the details of the works.

Maria Papaioannou, a language teacher from Britain, said, "For the first time in my life I knew that scraps of paper can be cut into such beautiful designs. This could be a great source of revenue and a rich industry. That's so surprising for me. I love the paper-cutting works here."

Ted Mason, a superior education advisor, also from Britain, told the journalist that he is very interested in the Chinese dragon. Seeing so many lifelike dragon paper-cuttings here, he liked them very much. When he left, Ted bought the black paper-cutting depicting nine dragons. He was very satisfied with his purchase.

In the paper-cutting factory, everyone concentrated fully on the production process. When we heard the workers making the paper-cuttings were local farmers, and that they worked beyond the growing season, we were shocked. The ingenuity of the Chinese people and profundity of Chinese culture left us with a deep impression.