Four papercut works from Yangzhou City have won gold prizes at the 6th “China Charms” Paper Cutting Tournament organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government.
In the contest with more than 580 works from different regions, Yangzhou folk artist Zhang Rong was selected as one of “top 10 papercut masters” in China for his works about the four seasons, birds and flowers.
With just a pair of scissors and a piece of paper, Zhang can create a new world in a blink of an eye. His designs still feature traditional flower and bird patterns, but he also integrates rich Chinese cultural elements from contemporary life.
Zhang said he started thinking about this latest work about half a year ago, envisioning a celebration of the Jiangsu Provincial Games and the Horticultural Exposition of Jiangsu Province in Yangzhou.
Both events will be great opportunities to show the achievements of urban development and promote the city’s image in all ways. Zhang also said that he considered many plans and finally chose to use the flowers in four seasons.
Zhang said that paper cutting requires the craftsman to be "careful, attentive, and patient." Details like a flower’s bud, leaves and bird’s eye all need to be made with just one smooth cut without any pause in the process. Sometimes flower buds can be just a few millimeters in size, yet have to be connected as a whole.
(source:jschina.com.cn)
