Wang Guiying

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Influenced by the woodcarving patterns left by her father and the embroidery left by her mother, she developed a strong interest in paper-cutting from childhood. Within the regional tradition and school record of Paper-cutting in Xuzhou, Jiangsu: Xuzhou paper cutting can be roughly divided into two stylistic lines. One, represented by Pizhou paper cutting, has compact compositions, a proper balance of density and openness, a rugged and robust structure, favors deformation and exaggeration, and appears bold and vigorous. The other, represented by the paper cutting of Wu Guoben and Zhang Lijun in the urban districts of Xuzhou and that of Jing'an Town in Pei County, is elegant and handsome, fine and flowing, and exquisitely delicate. Xuzhou lies at the junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces and has long been known as a "thoroughfare of five provinces", where northern and southern cultures meet. Paper cutting has been passed down from generation to generation along with local customs such as New Year festivals, weddings, and other celebrations, retaining both the boldness and robustness of northern paper cutting and blending in the delicacy and refinement of southern paper cutting.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Female, of Han ethnicity, born in December 1941 in Xinyi City, Jiangsu Province. Her earliest works were mostly window flowers and shoe flowers. She later attended a paper-cutting training class held in Pi County (now Pizhou City), which broadened her horizons and greatly advanced her skill. She gradually broke new ground on the traditional foundation, her style tending towards the plain and unrestrained, and formed a school of her own. She never makes a draft, relying instead on observation and silent memory of things: 'with closed eyes it is as if before me; when the hand moves it is there beneath the scissors.' Representative works include Washing the Bed Sheet, Silhouettes of Village Life and Spring Ploughing and Autumn Harvest. Within the documented technical tradition of Paper-cutting in Xuzhou, Jiangsu: Xuzhou paper cutting is widely practiced in the counties, cities, and districts of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. Xuzhou, situated at the junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces, is a zone where northern and southern cultures blend, and has long been known as a "thoroughfare of five provinces". Shaped by this special geographic setting, Xuzhou paper cutting gathers the strengths of north and south: its works incorporate the boldness and robustness of northern paper cutting while blending the delicacy and refinement of southern paper cutting. Xuzhou paper cutting has two main styles. One, represented by Pizhou paper cutting, features compact compositions, a proper balance of density and openness, a rugged and robust structure, and an unadorned style; it favors deformation and exaggeration, giving it a bold and vigorous character. The other, represented by the paper cutting of Wu Guoben and Zhang Lijun in the urban districts of Xuzhou and that of Jing'an Town in Pei County, is characterized by an elegant and handsome style, fine and flowing lines, and exquisite delicacy. The subjects of Xuzhou paper cutting are extremely broad: figures ancient and modern, Daoist and Buddhist tales, operatic images, local customs, and animals and birds can all enter the scissors. Works on real life are especially prominent, with scenes of farming, animal husbandry, transport, and construction frequently appearing in the picture; the lines are simple and bright, full of the flavor of everyday life. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The bold Pizhou manner": The bold Pizhou manner is XuZhou cutting's main representative, excelling at everyday life and local custom in terse, bright lines. "Wang Guiying's remembered-imagery cutting": Born in 1941, Wang Guiying moved from window and shoe flowers to a plain, bold style of her own, cutting from memory without any draft. "Farming, breeding, transport and building subjects": Works on real life are especially varied, depicting ploughing, breeding, transport and building in simple, lively lines. "Wu Guoben, Zhang Lijun and Jing'an town": Wu Guoben and Zhang Lijun of the city and the cutters of Jing'an town in Pei county represent the fine, flowing counterpart to Pizhou's boldness.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Representative bearer of Paper-cutting (Xuzhou paper-cutting), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. In order to carry forward the art of paper-cutting she has taken disciples including Yu Min, and teaches Xuzhou paper-cutting on a voluntary basis to the paper-cutting interest class of the local central primary school.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Wang Guiying · National Representative Bearer Archive