A snip here, a cut there

"Many women in the village know some basic paper-cutting skills," Zhang said. "They can make good products with just a little guidance. Some of them are even better at using scissors than me. They have nothing to do in their spare time, so they can devote it to paper-cutting to increase their income, somewhat. "

Niu Meisheng, a local farmer in her 60s, said: "We learned paper-cutting when we were young. Zhang helps us to transform the skill into income, so that we can take better care of our family and do farm work instead of migrating to cities in search of higher income." Niu added that paper-cutting has helped increase her income by 3,000 yuan ($471) to 4,000 yuan a year.

The most difficult part of paper-cutting, according to Zhang, is the basic skill, followed by design. "It is an art that relies heavily on experience. It is only through practice that a paper-cutting artist will know where to cut and where to connect." A paper-cutting master must be a fine artist with rich imagination, Zhang said. "We have many paper-cutting workers but few paper-cutting artists."

Zhang now focuses on research and development, so she can help integrate other folk arts of Daixian with the techniques and product derivatives of paper-cutting.

Zhang owns 20 appearance patents and one invention patent, and her company sells more than 1 million pieces of paper-cutting products a year, both at home and abroad. To pass the skills to future generations, Zhang, with the support of the Daixian local government, started teaching nine lessons on paper-cutting a week at the local primary and vocational schools from last year.

According to Ji Liangsheng, a deputy director of the cultural and tourism bureau of Daixian, who is in charge of the intangible cultural heritage work, introducing a paper-cutting course in schools is necessary to raise the students' awareness about China's traditional art forms, and is conducive to cultivating potential talents.

Shen Xin, a student of the Daixian Vocational School, said: "Paper cutting is 'easy to learn' but 'difficult to excel in'. Zhang's classes have increased my knowledge and broadened my vision." Shen added that: "Zhang is meticulous… She takes every piece of work seriously."

Nowadays, enterprises are using computer-controlled paper-cutting machines to increase production. Zhang said: "True, modern technology can make paper-cutting more convenient. But at the core of paper-cutting will always be the people, the artists, whose thoughts, creations and cultural knowledge can never be replaced by machines."

In her own words, Zhang's love for paper-cutting and achievements are "gifts" from her hometown. She draws inspiration from the land and the people that have helped her become the artist she is today. And she is committed to repaying their debt, by taking the ancient art form forward for the benefit of more people.

Peng Ke'er contributed to this story.