Li Yifa shows his artwork in his studio in Ji'an, Jilin, on June 15. [Photo/ cnews.chinadaily.com.cn]

The city of Ji'an, in Jilin province put on a paper carving exhibition at Li Yifa's studio, on June 15, to show the local cultural heritage from Li, the 3rd generation master of the art form, who began practicing the necessary carving skills with his mother and grandmother at an early age.

Now, after 20 years of work and research, Li has honed his multilayer skills with color and many great works that reflect Chinese history and Sino-Korean culture. One of his works, Five Hundred Arhats, is 50 meters long and deals with Buddhism and is the longest paper cut work in China. It took three years to finish and contains 500 characters, all different from each other, and is vivid in appearance.

Back in 2010, Li was asked to hold a special exhibition for "Jilin Week" at the Shanghai Expo, where his art received acclaim from Chinese and foreign guests. He has promoted his craft overseas and has taken part in international arts exchanges and shows since 2005, with individual exhibitions in Japan and South Korea. He is planning on setting up workshops as well to pass on his skills to the younger generation.

He says that the hardest thing about cutting paper with a knife is its exquisite nature and a layout that takes great planning And that, while ordinary painting has a stereoscopic effect achieved through shading, a knife cutting work has a three-dimensional effect depending on the strength of the carving.