Intl students cut a festive New Year
(english.jsjyt.edu.cn) Updated：2020-01-07
An international student shows off her paper-cutting work of a rat in Suzhou Jan 6. The rat is the Chinese zodiac sign of the year 2020. [Photo/jschina.com.cn]
The student art club at Pingzhi Primary School in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, welcomed 10 international students Jan 6, inviting them into the world of paper-cutting and encouraging them to use their ingenuity.
Coming from the United States, Italy, Slovakia and Belgium and now studying at the local Soochow University, the students tried their hands at making a cutout of the Chinese character fu (福), which means "happiness" or "blessing" in Chinese. It is a popular design for beginner paper cutters due to its simple structure and positive connotations. Fu is usually put upside down, whether on doors or windows, meaning fu (a blessing) has already arrived.
Skills sharpened, the students were then encouraged to try cutting a rat, one of the 12 zodiac signs which are regarded by Chinese people as the symbols of a rotation cycle of 12 years. 2020 is the Year of the Rat and paper-cutting decorations with rat designs are now popular.
Paper-cutting has been treasured as part of the world's intangible cultural heritages. The handicraft is a good way to tell Chinese stories on the global stage and can help encourage frequent exchanges and build friendships between young people from China and abroad.
