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Paper-cutting becomes an attractive investment
By Xu Wenwen |
July 4, 2011, Monday
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HANGZHOU Normal University student Wang Ziyue is a boss with her own brand at only 21 years old. Without having to rely on money from her father, she made her own fortune by inventing magnetic paper-cutting.
Paper-cutting has been practiced in China since at least the 6th century and has a number of distinct uses in Chinese culture. During festivals and weddings, it is a tradition to stick paper-cuttings onto windows, doors and walls.
Wang who comes from Jincheng, Shanxi Province, a place known for its delicate traditional paper-cutting, studied paper-cutting since girlhood.
From an early age, she was aware that, despite the artistic value of paper-cutting, the culture of paper-cutting was losing popularity.
"Paper for Chinese paper-cutting is so fragile that a small wrong cut, too much glue or a careless rip would all damage an artwork, while long-time exposure to air would ruin it, so less modern people adhere to the tradition of cutting and sticking paper-cuts," she says.
At 15, Wang was motivated to discover special materials that would make paper-cuts strong enough, as well as easy to stick and restore.
She tried many styles of plastics but all failed, until one day she was enlightened by the flexible refrigerator magnets in her home. "If paper-cutting can adhere to and be removed from things that easily, people would love the art more," Wang says.
After several experiments, Wang found a magnetic material similar to the refrigerator door sealer, which is soft enough to be cut, strong enough to be preserved and adhesive to smooth things once it is moistened.
As the color and touch of the magnetic material did not meet the requirement of paper-cutting, Wang pasted a paper sticker on it, but still found the paper-made sticker faced the same problems traditional paper-cuts suffered, such as turning crisp and fading after a while. So Wang again immersed herself into experiments and conjured up a special magnetic sheet with fuzzy cloth on one side which lasts longer.
Then everything became easy. One can cover a paper-cutting design on the sheet, and cut away the white part, leaving the colorful part remaining. The whole process often takes no more than 10 minutes.
Her invention received its national patent when she was 17 at a local high school. Later on, two more of her inventions, the "magnet jigsaw" and "color-up magnetic paper-cuts" that allows people to dye their own color on cuts, received patents.
In 2008 when the Olympics took place in Beijing, her magnetic paper-cutting work was selected by the Shanxi Province Department of Culture to participate in an exhibition at the Beijing Olympic Park.
Wang and her mother showed worldwide visitors her invention, and the magnetic paper-cuts of athletes' portraits they designed, such as American swimmer Michael Phelps and Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, became best-sellers there.
As soon as she was admitted by Hangzhou Normal University in 2008, Wang organized her venture team - Feidian'er Magnetic Paper-cuts Team - and her school offered her rent-free store space on the campus.
Carving out in Zhejiang
One year later, she invested 30,000 yuan (US$4,641) to found her first paper-cutting company in Yiwu, China's largest small-commodity wholesale center in Zhejiang Province.
She set the prices of magnetic paper-cutting to vary from 3 yuan to 2,000 yuan. And in that year, she earned 300,000 yuan.
"We don't simply sell paper-cutting, we sell its added value," Wang says.
She listed some uses for magnetic paper-cuts, such as tourist souvenirs with designs of scenic attractions, business gifts featuring a company's logo, birthday presents with someone's profile and decorations for weddings and festivals.
People have shown strong interest in her product. According to her company's regulations, if a client buys products worth 20,000 yuan once, he/she can be a member of her business alliance. She has developed nearly 90 alliance members across the country.
During college, Wang received several prizes in start-up business competitions, which not only guided her business and but also provided her financial help. For example, one competition organizer has offered her team an office in Binjiang District, which is rent-free for two years. There she founded her second paper-cutting company, and her two companies currently have 30-plus full-time employees.
Wang's company produces manufactured and handmade goods. To produce those handmade goods, she has also employed tens of laid-off and disabled workers in her hometown as it is part of her "social responsibilities."
So far, Bank of China, Vanke Real Estate and Vinda Paper have all become her company's clients.
Paper-cutting has been practiced in China since at least the 6th century and has a number of distinct uses in Chinese culture. During festivals and weddings, it is a tradition to stick paper-cuttings onto windows, doors and walls.
Wang who comes from Jincheng, Shanxi Province, a place known for its delicate traditional paper-cutting, studied paper-cutting since girlhood.
From an early age, she was aware that, despite the artistic value of paper-cutting, the culture of paper-cutting was losing popularity.
"Paper for Chinese paper-cutting is so fragile that a small wrong cut, too much glue or a careless rip would all damage an artwork, while long-time exposure to air would ruin it, so less modern people adhere to the tradition of cutting and sticking paper-cuts," she says.
At 15, Wang was motivated to discover special materials that would make paper-cuts strong enough, as well as easy to stick and restore.
She tried many styles of plastics but all failed, until one day she was enlightened by the flexible refrigerator magnets in her home. "If paper-cutting can adhere to and be removed from things that easily, people would love the art more," Wang says.
After several experiments, Wang found a magnetic material similar to the refrigerator door sealer, which is soft enough to be cut, strong enough to be preserved and adhesive to smooth things once it is moistened.
As the color and touch of the magnetic material did not meet the requirement of paper-cutting, Wang pasted a paper sticker on it, but still found the paper-made sticker faced the same problems traditional paper-cuts suffered, such as turning crisp and fading after a while. So Wang again immersed herself into experiments and conjured up a special magnetic sheet with fuzzy cloth on one side which lasts longer.
Then everything became easy. One can cover a paper-cutting design on the sheet, and cut away the white part, leaving the colorful part remaining. The whole process often takes no more than 10 minutes.
Her invention received its national patent when she was 17 at a local high school. Later on, two more of her inventions, the "magnet jigsaw" and "color-up magnetic paper-cuts" that allows people to dye their own color on cuts, received patents.
In 2008 when the Olympics took place in Beijing, her magnetic paper-cutting work was selected by the Shanxi Province Department of Culture to participate in an exhibition at the Beijing Olympic Park.
Wang and her mother showed worldwide visitors her invention, and the magnetic paper-cuts of athletes' portraits they designed, such as American swimmer Michael Phelps and Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, became best-sellers there.
As soon as she was admitted by Hangzhou Normal University in 2008, Wang organized her venture team - Feidian'er Magnetic Paper-cuts Team - and her school offered her rent-free store space on the campus.
Carving out in Zhejiang
One year later, she invested 30,000 yuan (US$4,641) to found her first paper-cutting company in Yiwu, China's largest small-commodity wholesale center in Zhejiang Province.
She set the prices of magnetic paper-cutting to vary from 3 yuan to 2,000 yuan. And in that year, she earned 300,000 yuan.
"We don't simply sell paper-cutting, we sell its added value," Wang says.
She listed some uses for magnetic paper-cuts, such as tourist souvenirs with designs of scenic attractions, business gifts featuring a company's logo, birthday presents with someone's profile and decorations for weddings and festivals.
People have shown strong interest in her product. According to her company's regulations, if a client buys products worth 20,000 yuan once, he/she can be a member of her business alliance. She has developed nearly 90 alliance members across the country.
During college, Wang received several prizes in start-up business competitions, which not only guided her business and but also provided her financial help. For example, one competition organizer has offered her team an office in Binjiang District, which is rent-free for two years. There she founded her second paper-cutting company, and her two companies currently have 30-plus full-time employees.
Wang's company produces manufactured and handmade goods. To produce those handmade goods, she has also employed tens of laid-off and disabled workers in her hometown as it is part of her "social responsibilities."
So far, Bank of China, Vanke Real Estate and Vinda Paper have all become her company's clients.
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