Chinese Arts and Culture: Paper Cutting

After introducing Mandarin to our Foreign Languages at ARIS, last Academic Year; this Academic Year (2018/2019), Mr. Young, Mandarin Facilitator has started a Chinese Club!

The Chinese Club is set up to explore into the diversity and richness of Chinese Arts and Culture. Our school is made up of a diverse community and to truly capture the essence of International Mindedness and Global Citizenship, we encourage our students’ inquiry into various cultures!

After the Chinese Club students at Primary made Peking Opera Masks, a significant aspect of Chinese Arts and Culture, this week they visited the art of Paper Cutting. Chinese Folk Art of Paper Cutting dates back to the 2nd Century C.E since the invention of Paper. Thus, as paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became one of the most important art forms in Chinese Folk Art.

The art form of Paper cutting later started varying according to the regions, and most of the time these beautiful and delicate Paper cut outs would decorate windows, so that the light would shine through the negative spaces and create beautiful patterns in the house.

The paper cut-outs are made on Red paper, as red signifies happiness and festivities, and now the Artwork is used during Spring Festivals and special occasions like Weddings and Childbirth.

Our students got involved in the activity of Paper cutting and unleashed their creativity to make beautiful patterns! Now, they will get to paste it on their windows or the wall or keep it as memorabilia, and know that they have acquired a very special skill in Chinese folk art that dates back centuries.

Here, have a look yourself!