Shantou Chaoyang Paper Cutting

Artforms > Shantou Chaoyang Paper Cutting

Chaoyang paper cutting is found within the Chaoshan area of the Guangdong Province, including Shantou, Chaozhou, Jieyang and Shanwei. Its rise can be traced back to the early ancestors of the Han Chinese. This style of paper cutting’s themes are often drawn from civic and personal celebrations, ancestor and god blessings, and Chinese national holidays. Their use in festival culture has also had a significant impact, especially in the Lantern Festivals and the Chinese New Year.

Xu Zunying, Red Paper Cutting

Paper-cutting is a delicate and precise process, where folded paper is cut with yang scissors to create neat, intricate details and yin scissors to reveal thicker, powerful lines. Motifs vary from birds and animals to folklore, opera characters, and, most notably, flowers.

The ‘flower in flower’ layout is the characteristic image of Chaoyang paper-cutting – a dense and exquisite design often found hanging from windows and doors during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009, the likes of Huang Shaoqiong have preserved Chinese paper cutting. Named the first Master of Arts and Crafts in Shantou, Huang Shaoqiong both practices and lectures on the techniques of paper-cutting.