Quick Answer: What Is Foshan Paper-Cutting?
Foshan paper-cutting (佛山剪纸, Fóshān jiǎnzhǐ) is a folk art from Foshan, Guangdong, with works in plain colored paper, layered paper and copper foil. The tradition includes both openwork cut from a sheet and images formed in thin copper by lines of raised dots. [1][2]
- Single-color paper: The shape depends on where the sheet is left intact and where it is cut away.
- Backed foil: Colored paper shows through openings cut in copper foil.
- Chiseled foil: Rows of tiny raised dots draw lines on the metal. [1][2][3]
A red edge, a colored opening and a beaded metal line each point to a different way of working.
A Foshan flower can be the red paper left between openings, the color behind a cut metal outline, or a field of paint edged with tiny dots in copper. The picture may look similar across the room. Its edge shows how it was made.
Scissors, Knives and Connected Lines
The national record distinguishes scissor-cutting and knife-cutting. Scissors suit small runs and freely cut ornaments. Knives can cut through several layers at a time, repeating a pattern across sheets. The record describes cutters holding narrow blades upright, like a writing brush. They leave connections between lines so that the openwork lifts out as one piece. [1][2]
Connections matter. On a single-color sheet, the narrow strip between two openings can also be the stem that holds a leaf to the rest of the picture. For a piece with a backing, a separate color may appear in the space the cutter removed. Both approaches belong to the wider art of Chinese paper-cutting. [1][2][6]
Four Ways to Read a Foshan Paper Cut
The national Guangdong entry groups Foshan work into four families, with further distinctions for the materials and finishes used. These examples show where to look for the difference, from the edge of a plain sheet to the surface of copper. [1][2]
| Example | How the design is formed | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Single-color cut paper | Scissors or a knife remove areas of one colored sheet. | The color of the remaining network stays the same. [1][2] |
| Copper foil with colored backing | The maker cuts a design in foil and backs it with colored paper. | Separate colors show through cut openings. [1][2] |
| Cut and painted copper foil | The maker cuts the outline and paints the image. | The color lies on the surface inside the outline. [2] |
| Chiseled copper foil | The maker taps the foil with a round-tipped tool, then can paint the areas outlined by the dots. | Bead-like lines rise on one face. The fields can remain intact. [2][3] |
The three copper examples are known as tóngchènliào (铜衬料), tóngxiěliào (铜写料) and tóngzáoliào (铜凿料), respectively. Backing, painting and punching affect different parts of the sheet. [1][2]
Where Foshan Cuts Were Used
The register names ornaments for gifts, lanterns, and candlesticks and tables used at Qixi. The purpose of a cut could determine its size and placement. The broader repertory includes animals, flowers, opera figures and auspicious scenes. The colored openings of a backed lantern ornament can glow when lit. On a plain cut, the openings let the surface behind the ornament become part of the pattern. [1][2][7]
Foshan had specialized trades in metal foil and dyed paper. The national account traces organized production and commercial networks into the Qing dynasty. Dyers and metalworkers supplied very different surfaces. That local supply helps explain why a craft called paper-cutting includes both red paper and polished foil. [1][2]
How Copper Chiseling Returned to View
People’s Daily describes a small copper-chiseled picture of two pandas that Chen Yongcai passed to his apprentice Rao Baolian. Foshan’s traditional foil had gone out of production. Rao tried other materials and developed a gilded copper surface and ways of tapping from both sides to vary the relief. [3]
The safeguarding report records a project begun in 2017 to document Chen’s practice and teaching. A 2025 Foshan exhibition included 23 artists. Among the works were Wu Zizhou’s large single-color view of historic Foshan and a pomegranate-themed work by Rao. Wu’s work uses connected lines to show an entire townscape. Rao’s work brings fine lines and bright metal into a close view of fruit. [4][5]
FAQs About Foshan Paper-Cutting
Is every Foshan paper cut made of copper foil?
Foshan makers work with ordinary colored paper, layered paper and foil. Single-color cuts remain a documented part of the local tradition. [1][5]
Which technique is used on Foshan lanterns?
The national Foshan lantern entry names copper foil cutwork with colored paper backing as characteristic decoration. Foshan lanterns also come in other materials and finishes. [7]
How is Foshan paper-cutting listed as heritage?
Foshan is identified in the national Guangdong paper-cutting entry, which dates to 2006. The safeguarding report identifies Foshan work as part of the wider Chinese paper-cut tradition inscribed by UNESCO in 2009. [1][4][6]
Sources
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Paper-Cutting: Guangdong Paper-Cutting
[2] Guangdong Learning Platform via Yangcheng Evening News. The Folk Art of Foshan Paper-Cutting
[3] People’s Daily Overseas Edition. Reviving Copper-Chiseled Paper-Cutting
[4] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Guangdong Paper-Cutting Safeguarding Report
[5] Li Qiaorong, Guangzhou Daily. Contemporary Foshan Paper-Cutting Exhibition
[6] UNESCO Multimedia Archives. Chinese Paper-Cut
[7] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Decorative Lanterns: Foshan Lanterns