Paper-cutting delights students

More than 20 foreign students from the International Education College of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine tried their hands on paper-cutting, a Chinese folk handicraft, on April 14.

Students from Thailand, South Korea, Brazil, Germany and Malaysia learned to use scissors and knives to cut out patterns on paper.

Their teacher Ni Hongxia showed them different paper-cutting tools and methods of paper-cutting by cutting out a paper elephant. She also showed them some exquisite paper-cutting works and introduced their cultural connotation.

The students tried to cut out some typical paper-cutting patterns, such as flowers, birds, fishes and the Chinese character "Xi", or happiness, a traditional and required decoration on newlywed’s door.

To carve the pattern out of a piece of paper, the students carefully and patiently followed the lines and used scissor skillfully. They spent about one hour finishing their works.

The event was initiated by the International Education College’s Chinese teaching center and a series of cultural events will follow to help these students learn Chinese language and experience Chinese culture.

Folk paper-cutting is a Chinese art form, just like traditional Chinese painting or calligraphy. It has a history of more than 1,500 years and was enlisted as one of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages in 2009.