China has a long history of paper cut art, but the tradition
needs help to survive in modern times.

\”I still remember how as a child I watched my mother making
paper cuts and sewing under the light of an oil lamp beside my bed.
She looked mysterious when she held a paper cut in front of her
face to amuse me,\” said Liu Jieqiong, a rural woman from Yanchuan
County, in northwest China\’s Shaanxi Province.

The Chinese folk art of paper cutting, which uses scissors and
knives to cut out patterns on paper, has been a major source of
decoration in Chinese farm households for more than a thousand
years, and has become an important form of artistic expression for
farmers, especially women.

\”I started to learn paper cutting all by myself when I was a
little girl. I kept practicing and focusing on the skills. When I
reached my teens, I was no stranger to this art form,\” said Gao
Fenglian, Liu\’s mother, who at 73 is lauded as a model among the
paper cutting artists of north China.

Gao\’s works reach across a wide range of subject matter. They
recall ancient myth and speak to the reality of modern life. All
are rich in artistic value and aesthetic sensibility, yet they
remain earthy and bold and are crafted in a style all her own.

The paper cut master

Gifted with the flair for paper cutting, Gao is hailed as the
master in her village. During the local festivals Gao is invited to
show off her polished scissors-cutting skills. Images created under
her scissors seem to exude vitality. She holds a deep reverence for
the tradition but refuses to be confined by stereotypes. Her
designs remain firmly rooted in the old ways yet they reveal a
touch of contemporary individuality.

Jin Zhilin, a professor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts,
said, \”Taking this work from her as an example: She wants to
express the vitality and flourish of the Chinese nation. The clock
on the archway is accompanied by a lion and a dragon from primitive
times. The horseback rider below serves as the door-god. All these
patterns, the archway, the ornamental columns, lions, dragons, and
phoenixes symbolize the perfect union of sky and earth. It speaks
to the vitality of the nation that is the essence of Chinese
philosophy.\”

Gao is a born artist in the eyes of many. She never went to
school, not for one day. She\’s a typical rural woman who is kept
busy doing everyday chores like laundry and cooking. She takes up
her paper cutting implements for a little relaxation.

Gao\’s works made their first public appearance at a paper
cutting exhibition in the mid-1980s. Soon critics nationwide were
intrigued. In 1995, Gao competed with over 80 paper cutting
artisans at a local competition. She won top prize for her entry
\”The Fairy Lady.\” That February, she was awarded the prize for
\”Special Contribution\” at an invitational competition in east
China\’s Zhejiang Province. Two months later, Gao was given another
honor and won international acclaim when the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) awarded
her the distinction of \”Master of Folk Art and Crafts.\”http://www.gtrip.net