Up the River of the Pure Brightness.

    During the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the ancient county of Guangling was radiant in festive atmosphere, dressed up and plentiful with colorful paper-cuts and red lanterns hung high.

Attention to detail.

    In mid 2008 the people of Guangling were pleased to learn that the Chinese Ministry of Culture had classified their style of colorful halftone paper-cuts as being among the second group of China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

    Paper-cutting in Guangling originated in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907), took on a distinct form during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and matured during the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Derived from traditional embroidery, the Guangling style incorporates single and multiple colors with elements of traditional Chinese painting.

    Guangling paper-cuts, natural white and dyed, are famous for clear, graceful lines, while also featuring a robust and vigorous appeal. The delicate product is reputed as a “unique skill of the traditional Chinese art” for its vivid composition, lifelike expression, exquisite craftsmanship, rarefied material and color, and elaborate packing.

    As one of the three famous represen-tatives of traditional Chinese paper-cutting, Guangling holds a position displaying the traditional arts and crafts from Shanxi Province with its unique style, bright colors, vivid composition, graceful lines, lifelike expression, and fine craftsmanship.

    To increase awareness and public appreciation for the art, a paper-cut museum, the largest of its kind in China, was established in Guangling. What’s more, the county’s Jiaoshan Village was designated by the State as the “Home of International Paper-Cutting.” A newly-rising cultural industry, paper-cutting has served to showcase the folk custom, traditional and modern, while also serving as a major means to benefit local residents during the farming off-season.