Yueqing Fine Paper Cutting: World Cultural Heritage

The lifestyle in Ou River in southern Zhejiang is a cherished subject for scholars and historians. It is said that the lifestyle reflects many remnants of the ancient customs and habits of the Wuyue Kingdom， that the lifestyle reflects the strong influence of the sea on local people's livelihood and mentality， and that trade and business play a key part.

Experts say that folk artists in this area owe their brilliant arts to the colorful and rich local cultural ambiance. Lin Bangdong is such a folk artist. From a family of paper-cutting masters that can be traced to five generations ago， Lin Bangdong in 2004 was honored as one of China's top ten masters of folk paper-cutting art. In early 2007， he was designated as China Arts and Crafts Master. Since June， 2007， he has been the representative artist of Yueqing Fine Paper-Cutting， a national intangible cultural heritage item. Four of his masterpieces are recognized as the representative artworks that stand for the paper-cutting named after his hometown Yueqing， in southern Zhejiang. In 2009， Yueqing Fine Paper-Cutting was designated as UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

I visited Lin Bangdong on a late autumn day in 2009. He beamed at the sight of me. He told me that since the UNESCO recognition， his life had changed. Journalists kept coming to see him. Local leaders often visited him. Collectors knocked on his door. I had visited him many times long before the UNESCO kudos. I was a witness to the time before and since.

Lin Bangdong said he was happy and he would continue to carry on the fine tradition of Yueqing Fine Paper-Cutting. The healthy and happy 82-year-old artist is able to demonstrate how a piece of paper metamorphoses into a masterpiece of folk art in his hands.

In recent years， Yueqing City Government has been paying adequate attention to the local outstanding paper-cutting art. It is now included in five local schools' curriculum. Under the aegis of the local government， regular training courses are offered to young enthusiasts. The government also allots grants to masters who are willing to take in youngsters as disciples. In 2008， Lin Bangdong took 6 apprentices and the local government provided 1000 yuan per disciple as subsidies. What's behind hearty measures for local paper-cutting artists is a series of government policies made to carry on this fine local tradition to future.

The fine paper-cutting in Yueqing today is more than 700 years old. A Yueqing County Annals made in the Dade Years (1297-1307) of the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368) records the paper-cutting artworks displayed in local celebrations.

As Yueqing is a coastal region， local people believe in the dragon god that rules the sea. In the last years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)， people in rural villages along the coast began to celebrate the Spring Festival with dragon lanterns. As it was in the shape of a boat， it was known as the dragon boat. Folk artists decorated these paper boats with paper-cutting patterns. Villages vied each other in coming up best dragon lanterns and best paper-cutting patterns. As the lanterns became popular， folk artists developed unique techniques and a great range of patterns.

What makes Yueqing Fine Paper-Cutting differ from all other paper-cutting sub-genres in China is that the paper-cuts in Yueqing are not created with a pair of scissors. They are made with a carving knife. The best artist can carve 52 skinny lines in a square-inch paper. That is what the word Fine indicates about the artistry.

The paper-cutting has had its golden age. In the 1960s， local paper-cutting artists in Yueqing began to work together. In 1963， a paper-cutting business was set up in the village of Siqian in Yueqing and five paper-cutting artists worked there. The 11 years from 1970 to 1981 was the very golden age of Yueqing Fine Paper-Cutting. During that time， Yueqing exported paper-cutting products to more than 30 countries and regions. In 1979， China International Bookstore (now China International Books Trading Corporation) deposited nearly 100，000 yuan in one lump sum for a series of paper-cutting works to be created by Lin Bangdong. He carved 108 heroes in the Outlaws of the Marsh， a classic Chinese novel written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Many people in Yueqing still remember the sensational buy.

Lin Bangdong is not the only outstanding folk paper-cutting master in Yueqing. The late Chen Chaofen is recognized among paper-cutting artists across the country as China's peerless paper-cutting master. His two masterpieces are viewed as the best paper-carving artworks in China. His son Chen Yuhua started his paper-cutting career at 15 and the past 40 years have seen him create hundreds of paper-cutting works. A few of his artworks are now in the collection of China Art Gallery. In 2007， he was recognized as a representative artist of Yueqing Fine Paper Cutting.

In fact， there are a group of outstanding artists who represent the best of Yueqing Fine Paper-Cutting. Lu Faliang， a Zhejiang Art and Craft Master， is a prominent paper-cutting master. Young paper-cutting artists have emerged in Yueqing. They have displayed their artworks at various national exhibitions and won top awards. □