Snip, snip. Deft scissorwork creates delicate art
Print Edition
Wielding his “fantastic four” — a pair of scissors, sheets of red paper, a ruler and a handy knife — Bing Yunpeng cuts a fine figure in Xinqiao Town.
The 53-year-old teacher from Xinqiao Middle School is known locally as “the paper-cut king.” He is happy to share this ancient hand skill with villagers at local cultural centers every week.
“I’m so surprised to see that so many people are interested in paper cutting,” Bing said, as he deftly manipulated the small, razor-sharp scissors to quickly snip a piece of red paper.
With some deft cuts and razzle-dazzle paper folding, he creates four butterflies fluttering around a cluster of flowers in just five minutes.
His decorations are used in local weddings, festival and dinner parties.
Bing said there’s really nothing he can’t create. He does flowers, auspicious animals and even personal silhouettes.
Paper-cutter of all
Patterns of water lilies and mandarin ducks are popular for weddings because they symbolize happy marriage and true love. Red-crowned cranes and chrysanthemums are used in paper-cuts given to the elderly because they express wishes for longevity. Fish and sheaves of grain, which herald a prosperous new year, are pasted on front doors during the Lunar New Year festival.
“This year, we were quite busy cutting goats and sheep,” Bing said, with a broad grin. “My neighbors often ask me to do a paper-cut for them and I am always happy to oblige.”
He uses pen or pencil to sketch a design, and a ruler and paper clips to fasten multiple layers of paper together while he cuts.
Bing chooses his paper carefully. He uses white for funerals and red for festivals. The paper may either be colorfast or easily faded. Some are sprinkled with gold flecks.
He said he has to visualize an entire image before touching scissors to paper, which is folded many times. It requires an organized mind and a steady hand.
“One small mistake can destroy the whole work,” he said.
Spreading the folk art
Bing has been doing paper-cuts for three decades. When he does make an occasional mistake, he simply changes the pattern to accommodate it.
Easier patterns may take only a few minutes; big projects may require weeks of careful work.
Last October, Bing began a paper-cutting class at the Xinqiao Town Cultural Center. It quickly attracted a lot of students, from the young to the grey-haired.
Sometimes Bing takes his students on field trips to folk art exhibitions to get them inspired.
“It’s good for young people to learn about this folk art, and for the old, it’s a healthy diversion,” he said.
Guan Ping, 60, has been attending Bing’s class for six months.
“Watch closely,” she said as she skillfully cut a pattern of three vivid cats in only 30 minutes. During the recent Spring Festival, the center held a paper-cut exhibition that included the works of Bing’s students. The paper-cuts bore titles such as “Longevity Peaches,” “Three Sheep of Luck” and “Blessings.”
Paper-cuts are a long, local tradition in Xinqiao. In order to promote the folk art, the local government has invited paper-cut masters such as Bing to set up free courses for residents in the Chenxing, Changxi and Minyi communities.
“It’s fun and easy to learn,” Bing said of his craft. “I’m glad that my students enjoy paper cutting so much and show such great progress in a short time.”
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