Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage | Jianzhi | Folk Art

Chinese Paper Cutting

Red paper, scissors, engraving knives, windows, ceremonies, and folk symbols make jianzhi one of China's most recognizable living art traditions.

Explore the Folk Art See the Process

Chinese Paper-Cut

What is Chinese paper cutting?

Chinese paper cutting, often called jianzhi or 剪纸, is a folk art made by cutting or engraving paper into patterns for daily decoration, festivals, weddings, birthdays, ceremonies, and wishes for protection or good fortune.

UNESCO inscribed Chinese paper-cut on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The tradition appears across China and among many ethnic groups, with motifs and techniques changing by region and use.

Red Chinese paper-cut decorations on a sunlit window — Paper cuts often move from the worktable to windows, walls, lanterns, doors, and ceremony spaces.

Folk Symbols

A small sheet of paper can carry a whole social wish.

Motifs Flowers, birds, animals, characters, myths, daily scenes, and auspicious patterns can all appear.
Places Paper cuts may decorate windows, doors, rooms, beds, ceilings, mirrors, lanterns, and ceremonial settings.
Occasions New Year, weddings, birthdays, harvest moments, prayers, and family celebrations all shape the design.
Transmission Knowledge is passed through family practice, local workshops, community artists, and childhood learning.

Traditional Process

How Chinese paper cutting is made

Hands cutting red paper into a Chinese paper-cut pattern

Choose paperRed paper is common for festive use, but paper cuts may be colored, plain, dyed, or layered.
Plan the motifThe artist chooses symbols for the region, occasion, family wish, or decorative space.
Fold or stackPaper can be folded for symmetry or stacked so several pieces are cut at once.
Cut or engraveScissors shape broad lines, while knives and chisels can create dense, delicate detail.
Open and mountThe finished paper cut is unfolded, cleaned, and placed on a window, wall, lantern, or object.

Heritage Facts

Paper cutting is both image and occasion.

Chinese paper cutting is not only a decorative craft. It is tied to social life, household space, festive timing, moral ideas, regional aesthetics, and the emotions of the maker.

Chinese Name剪纸 jianzhi

UNESCO ListingRepresentative List, 2009

CategoryFolk art and traditional craftsmanship

ToolsPaper, scissors, engraving knives, chisels, patterns

Common UsesWindows, doors, lanterns, weddings, festivals, ceremonies

SEO Topic ClusterChinese folk art, festival customs, paper craft

FAQ

Common questions about Chinese paper cutting

Is Chinese paper cutting always red?
No. Red is very common for festive decoration, but paper cuts can be left plain, colored, dyed, or made with different papers.

Is it only a New Year decoration?
No. It appears in many contexts, including weddings, birthdays, ceremonies, prayers, home decoration, and local festivals.

What makes regional styles different?
Motifs, line density, cutting technique, local stories, and purpose all vary by region and community.

Sources and Related Guides

Continue through Chinese living heritage.

UNESCO Reference

Chinese Paper-Cut

Representative List entry for Chinese paper-cut, inscribed in 2009.

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