Goldfish with the desire to swim, twinkle copper foil and gorgeous colors...Walking into the exhibition hall of the Foshan Folk Art Research Institute, a very visual impact of the artworks come into sight, which is the unique Foshan copper paper-cut in China.

How can the copper paper-cut appeal to the public? And what opportunities are there to renew their vitality? Today, lets explore the story behind it.

Long-standing story with complicated chiseling process

"Foshan copper paper-cut is unique in the world. " Chen Jianshan, Design director from Foshan Xinhe Folk Art and Crafts Co., Ltd introduced the history of copper paper-cut. "It was originally used for folk blessing decoration, and was not hollowed-out, afterwards it was linked with paper-cut. "

Foshan copper paper-cut is the traditional technology of Foshan, which is the combination of Foshan’s traditional process of metal foil industry and folk handicrafts of copper golden flowers. The folk expert Liang Shiyu said in relevant report that the copper foil appeared in Foshan in the late Southern Song Dynasty. After a period of formation, the technology of copper paper-cut in Foshan was finally formed in the Ming Dynasty.

According to the data, the copper paper-cut takes golden foil as the raw material, and the copper is chiseled repeatedly to form the drawing, finally the mineral pigment is filled in to form the pattern.

"The whole process is about the same as painting, but there is an extra process of texture and shearing." Chen Jianshan tells the process of making copper paper-cut. “First, the pattern is designed, then the picture is presented more accurately through computer drawing, and the two drawings will be handed over to the paper-cut masters. They use beads of different sizes to form different lines and texture on the copper, and finally it’s the process of coloring. "

Creation based on the inheritance

Coloring is not easy, but for designers, the idea of work is the most difficult. How to meet the needs of the market, how to maximize the characteristics of copper paper-cut in technology or design to distinguish other paper-cut? In the production process, designers must think about the bead effect and color use of lines.

In order to improve the attention of young people to copper paper-cut, Foshan Xinhe Folk Art and Crafts Co., Ltd has also done a lot of exploration. It’s reported that the company also organizes a paper-cut competition with the design platform LKK this year, which attracted many young people who are interested in paper-cut design, and developed interesting and creative products that are close to life.

Although the exploration is still in the initial stage, Chen Jianshan has full confidence in the market prospect of the copper paper-cut. "We hope to raise the awareness of the market through more promotion and to let more young people pass down the handicraft. " Chen Jianshan said.

图：除署名外，其余图片来自苏俊杰

编译：Eleanor