As early as 2,000 years ago, right after paper was invented, ancient Chinese began the art of cutting paper designs. Throughout China’s history, this art has been developed by people living in different regions of the country. Beijing alone has a number of fantastic local shops with beautiful paper cutouts made by some of the best Chinese artisans.

Chinese paper cutouts often show pictures of landscapes, houses, people, animals, and flowers. The designs are usually symmetrical and created by cutting a piece or several pieces of folded paper. Chinese living in the countryside especially like to use paper cutouts to decorate their homes. Because they are most often put on windows, the cutouts earned the nickname “window flowers.” As a common practice, cutouts designed with auspicious Chinese characters are used for festivals and other events like weddings. As a tradition, most cutouts are made by women.

During the Tang dynasty, Chinese paper cutting was developed into a fine art. Cutouts from this period are preserved by the British Museum in London and show a high level of craftsmanship. During the Song dynasty, paper cutting became a favorite hobby among Chinese, as the thriving paper industry enabled people to use a whole range of new paper products. The porcelain items made in this period show many patterns designed based on paper cutouts. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, this art reached its zenith.

In China, there are three major styles of paper cutting developed by artisans in different regions of the country. They are the southern style, the Jiangzhe style, and the northern style.

The Southern Style: The most well-known cutouts of the southern style are produced in Foshan, Wuhan, and Fujian.

Foshan - Foshan artisans like to produce paper cutouts with bright colors and extravagant designs. Even though their theme is “loud,” they are liked by a lot of people, including both Chinese and overseas customers.

Wuhan - Wuhan’s paper cutting is influenced by the local “Chu” culture. Paper cutouts produced here are famous for their vivid pictures and deep cultural meanings. Some of the best paper cutout artists of China are from this area.

Fujian - Artists in Fujian province like to depict animals. Some famous cutouts, like “Chicken-Feet Flower,” have very interesting animal designs.

The Jiangzhe Style: Jiangzhe is a region in China that includes Jiangsu and Zhejiang province. These two provinces all produce elegant paper cutouts that have unique, beautiful designs.

Jiangsu - Jiangsu artists make paper cutouts with beautiful flower designs. The flowers depicted are delicate, lifelike, and give a sense of romance.

Zhejiang - Cutouts produced in this province are famous for their elegant, exquisite craftsmanship. Here, themes mainly focus on things in nature and characters from “Yue” plays. They are used to decorate both windows and lanterns.

The Northern Style: The three most famous northern Chinese styles are the Shanxi style, Shaanxi style, and Shandong style.

Shanxi - Village people in Shanxi province live in traditional cave-houses with minimal decorations. The paper cutouts they make generally reflect this reality - most of them have a very simple design. They also have a rough feel, similar to the character of the local people.

Shaanxi - Paper cutouts produced in this province are said to be “living fossils.” Some of the oldest patterns from ancient China are shown on these beautiful cutouts. Because of its isolated location from the rest of China, Shaanxi has been able to preserve things from the past.

Shangdong - The uniqueness of Shandong paper cutouts comes from the way they are used to decorate windows. Village women in this province cut their designs in pieces, and put them up on window one by one. Altogether, each small piece makes a huge picture. This gives their work a special look.

When you are in Beijing, go shopping for some beautiful paper cutouts in the city’s amazing local shops. It’s best to find a personal shopper to assist you in shopping, because this person knows the locations of the best shops and can give you information on the products you buy.