Zhangpu paper-cutting in Fujian was originally used as a base for embroidery. With the popularity of Han folk activities and the influence of Central Plains culture such as "window grilles" in the north, Zhangpu paper-cutting began to be used in various weddings and worship activities.

Pig's trotter flowers, cake flowers, and flowers are affixed to gifts and sacrifices to express good wishes.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, paper-cutting gradually separated from embroidery and became a unique folk art.

Zhangpu paper-cutting occupies a certain position in Chinese folk art with its unique artistic style, strong original taste and naive beauty.

Speaking of Zhangpu paper-cutting, everyone will miss the names of four old ladies who have passed away: Chen Jin, Huang Su, Lin Tao, and Chen Paolai. They are collectively known as the "Four Divine Scissors" in southern Fujian.

Zhangpu paper-cutting has diverse creative styles. On the basis of inheriting Zhangpu paper-cutting, Chen Jin and Huang Su drew on traditional embroidery expression techniques and created the "row cutting" technique, forming a realistic and rich and well-proportioned composition of Zhangpu paper-cutting with complex and delicate lines.

Characteristics: Lin Tao and Chen Baolai were based on the local area, focused on subjective imagination, and created the freehand style of Zhangpu paper-cutting art with ingenious composition, simple and abstract style; Lin Tao, in particular, is called "Chinese Folk Picasso" by the art world.

The "Four Great Scissors" are not only outstanding representatives of the southern paper-cut art school, but also real farmers and fishermen. They were illiterate from childhood and worked day and night when they grew up. Paper-cutting is by no means a profession, but a natural hobby that is passed down consciously.

, years of accomplishment.

The four old people who were accompanied by scissors not only left a precious legacy for the art of paper-cutting with their silent artistic language and mature and exquisite techniques, but also influenced and inspired generations of artists in Zhangpu who are interested in the art of paper-cutting.

Nowadays, Zhangpu County has a team of nearly a thousand paper-cutting artists, old, middle-aged, young and young, all showing their talents.

Paper-cutting artists such as Chen Qiuri, Gao Shaoping, Ouyang Yanjun, Li Xiaoyan, Chen Yanrong, Lu Shurong, and You Jinmei have absorbed nutrients from various art schools in the north and south of the country and kept pace with the times. Many of their works have repeatedly won awards in competitions held at home and abroad.

Each has its own characteristics.

In 2010, the "First Fujian Provincial Folk Paper-cutting Art Vocational Skills Competition" was held in Zhangpu. More than a hundred paper-cutting experts from cities (counties) across the province competed in two days of on-site creation and cutting techniques.

Ouyang Yanjun won the highest award, the "Golden Knife and Scissors Award", which marked that Zhangpu paper-cutting skills have reached the top level of paper-cutting art in Fujian Province.

In Zhangpu County, Chen Qiuri, Zhang Zhengrong, Gao Shaoping, and Ouyang Yanjun were awarded the honorary title of "Fujian Arts and Crafts Masters" by the Fujian Provincial Government. The Fujian Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security also successively reviewed and approved Chen Qiuri's paper-cutting.

The studio, Zhang Zhengrong Paper-cutting Studio, Gao Shaoping Paper-cutting Studio, and Ouyang Yanjun Paper-cutting Studio are "Fujian Skills Master Studio".

Zhangpu paper-cutting has a long history and a long way to pass it on. While the paper-cutting industry is developing, paper-cutting artists in Zhangpu County are also working hard to cultivate new generations of paper-cutting talents for the inheritance of Zhangpu paper-cutting. They may hold training classes in their own art museums.

Or go into the campus and spread the paper-cutting skills to teachers and students step by step. The popularity of Zhangpu paper-cutting among the people and the inheritance of paper-cutting artists have created a virtuous circle.