On the stage of the 2023 CCTV Spring Festival Gala "Village Gala," models dazzled in qipaos adorned with Chinese red paper-cutting motifs.
These two iconic Chinese cultural elements—paper-cutting and qipao—complemented each other beautifully, giving Chinese paper-cutting costumes their debut on the national stage, where they instantly caught the public's eye.
The designer of the costumes, Li Na, is from Hengshui, Hebei Province.
Over more than a decade of dedication and innovation, she has transformed herself from a housewife into a renowned artisan. By elevating the Hengshui paper-cutting costume from its rural roots to the international stage, she has shared the captivating charm of Eastern aesthetics with the world.
Li Na's passion for Chinese paper-cutting began in her childhood. In the small farmhouse courtyard by Hengshui Lake, her grandmother's skillfully crafted paper-cut window decorations and embroideries served as her earliest artistic enlightenment.
For a period of time, the beauty of Chinese paper-cutting remained dormant, yet it still quietly planted a seed of artistry in her heart.
After marriage, Li Na became a housewife. Unwilling to settle for the ordinary life of merely managing household chores, she chose to run an online store while taking care of her children. Her store offered a wide variety of products, including plenty of artistic items she personally loved—among them, paper-cutting.
She recalls, "The Chinese paper-cutting works sold very well, even reaching overseas markets." This success rekindled her love for the craft.
In 2017, Li Na founded Hengshui Yuenabaichuan Craft Co., Ltd., turning her hobby into a business career.
Through platforms like Taobao and Douyin, the types of her Chinese paper-cutting works have expanded from hanging scrolls and fans to cultural and creative products such as costumes and headwear, gradually broadening the market.
Nowadays, her company has served tens of thousands of customers both domestically and internationally, achieving annual sales of over one million yuan and driving the growth of the local paper-cutting industry.
While traditional Chinese paper-cutting art typically uses paper as the medium, Li Na boldly reimagined the art form, integrating it with fashion design. She hopes that Chinese paper-cutting can evolve innovatively from a static display into a dynamic, wearable art form.
After countless experiments with fabrics as a substitute for paper, she successfully developed paper-cutting costumes that combine the aesthetic of intricate cut-out designs and practical wearability.
At the "Weibo Night 2025", actress Zeng Li made a stunning appearance wearing a 7-meter-long Chinese paper-cutting gown.
The gown features a giant dragon coiling above the Great Wall, while peace doves flutter wings as if ready to take flight. Lotus flowers and koi fish on the gown symbolize "surplus year after year."
This masterpiece, which perfectly combines traditional Chinese cultural symbols with modern fashion, was also created by Li Na. Netizens praised it as a "tangible expression of cultural confidence."
Each of her designs embodies profound cultural significance: the soaring dragon in the ornamental pillar symbolizing prosperity, the Great Wall representing resilience, the peony exuding regal elegance, and the doves expressing wishes for peace.
In December 2024, an influencer appeared on the streets of Milan wearing a red Chinese paper-cutting Hanfu created by Li Na, sparking a wave of international attention as foreign friends eagerly snapped photos.
Following this, orders flooded in from Paris, Tokyo, and other cities abroad. Li Na's "dynamic wearable art form" truly went international.
Li Na understands that the vitality of intangible cultural heritage lies in "being seen." Only through communication and dissemination can traditional culture continue to thrive and evolve.
She actively participates in public welfare projects, bringing Chinese paper-cutting art into schools and using her designs to spark children's interest in traditional culture.
Committed to innovation, she upholds the philosophy of "making intangible heritage a part of everyday life," and strives to integrate Chinese paper-cutting into modern lifestyles in practical, accessible ways.
She calls on all sectors of society to work together to build an ecosystem for the innovative development of traditional culture, enabling Chinese paper-cutting—this flower of Eastern art—to blossom and shine in the exchange of global civilizations.
From a housewife to an innovator of intangible cultural heritage, Li Na has carved a path for the inheritance of Chinese culture with her scissors.
Today, Chinese intangible cultural heritage is flourishing in vibrant new forms, sharing the Eastern aesthetic with the world.
(Reporter & Cameraman: Li Yingyin; Editing: Yan Yuge, Li Yingyin; Translator: Zheng Xiaoyi; English Editor: Zoey SUN)
Related News:
OMG | Exploring intangible cultural heritage: Chinese paper cutting
Comment