China News Service, Hong Kong, February 5th: Title: Send your hand to spring and cut out a rainbow - an exclusive interview with Hong Kong paper-cutting artist Sun Hong
China News Service reporter Dai Menglan
"Can you cut us a paper-cut with the theme of the Year of the Dragon?" Faced with the reporter's abrupt "unkind request," Sun Hong, president of the Hong Kong Chinese Paper-cut Culture and Art Society, even though he said he was unprepared, quickly drew the sample and made it with one hand. Holding the knife and paper in one hand, the paper turns with the knife. In less than half an hour, a paper-cut work that combines the word "dragon" with a dragon-shaped pattern comes to life.
Sun Hong, president of the Hong Kong Chinese Paper-cut Culture and Art Society, recently cut out a Year of the Dragon themed paper-cut during an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service. Photo by China News Service reporter Hou Yu
Talking about his fate with paper-cutting, Sun Hong said with a smile that he learned paper-cutting as a "novice halfway through". When I was a kid, I didn’t have any toys, so I played with paper cutouts, and then I put them down. Until one day in 1999, Sun Hong's husband bought a book introducing Chinese paper-cutting from an old bookstore on Hollywood Road. She accidentally flipped through it and suddenly felt like reuniting with old friends and finding a treasure, so she followed the book I started cutting out the displayed patterns and patterns gropingly, and the more I cut, the more fascinated I became.
However, the book that led Sun Hong into the world of paper-cutting only showed the works and did not introduce the specific techniques and the culture behind paper-cutting. In order to cut out better-looking works, she often goes to the library to borrow paper-cut books and reads them. When she returns to her hometown of Guangzhou, she also goes to the bookstore to look for related books. She sighed, "After reading these materials, I really feel the breadth and depth of paper-cut culture. The Chinese people's expectations for a better life are all expressed through paper-cut patterns."
After learning paper-cutting for more than ten years, Sun Hong has become increasingly proficient in her skills. In 2012, the Continuing Education Center under the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions invited her to offer paper-cutting classes. Unexpectedly, citizens signed up for every enrollment period. In the past 12 years, she has trained nearly a thousand students, the youngest of whom are middle school students.
"Students are very happy when they learn. They feel that the process of paper-cutting is like opening a gift box - because the paper is folded and cut, you can only see its full picture when it is cut and opened." Sun Hong said, learning paper-cutting It is not difficult, and the three-month course is enough to master the basic skills; what is difficult is how to cut out new ideas in addition to traditional patterns and express your own ideas through the art of paper-cutting. In her daily creations, she uses Chinese paper-cutting to express ideas and concepts in Western culture.
Sun Hong, president of the Hong Kong Chinese Paper-cutting Culture and Art Society, recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service. Photo by China News Service reporter Hou Yu
Sun Hongqian said that he is just a "baby walker" and "crutch" for the students. After the students learn the methods in class, they can "throw away" the teacher and use their talents to cut the patterns they like. She joked that some students "got addicted to paper-cutting" after learning and became "enthusiasts" of paper-cutting culture, often sharing their works in online groups; some students made a special trip to Shaanxi to learn about the local paper-cutting culture.
Under the initiative and organization of some enthusiastic students, the Hong Kong Chinese Paper-cutting Culture and Arts Society was established in 2018, giving Hong Kong paper-cutting enthusiasts an additional platform for exchanges and discussions. Recently, the "Spring 2024" paper-cut exhibition curated by the society was displayed at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. Paper-cut works including the Year of the Dragon theme, the 24 solar terms theme and the Hong Kong landmark theme attracted many audiences to stop and admire it.
In addition to teaching paper-cutting, Sun Hong also teaches gongbi painting courses at the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions Continuing Education Center. She said that when cutting paper and painting, you can calm down and complete the work. You can temporarily put aside your worries and gain happiness. Teaching is a process of mutual inspiration and sharing happiness with others. Therefore, she named her social media account "Cut the Rainbow."
Sun Hong (right), president of the Hong Kong Chinese Paper-cut Culture and Art Society, exchanges paper-cut works with members of the society. Photo by China News Service reporter Dai Menglan
In 2009, Chinese paper-cutting was selected into the Representative List of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage. In recent years, Sun Hong and members of the Hong Kong Chinese Paper-cutting Culture and Art Society have cooperated with the Education University of Hong Kong to visit primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and introduce paper-cutting to young people.
She said that the students actively tried their hands in the paper-cutting class. Paper-cutting is an excellent traditional Chinese culture, and children should be introduced to it from an early age by entering schools. Before the Spring Festival, the Society also plans to send Spring Festival paper-cuts to the public through workshops and other activities. She hopes to deepen exchanges with mainland paper-cutting artists in the future so that paper-cutting art can flourish in Hong Kong. (over)