Weibangfen

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Weibangfen, Female, Sui, from Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Paper-cutting (Ⅶ-16). The tradition is documented in Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou. Within the regional tradition and school record of Paper-cutting in Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou: Shui paper cutting is distributed in the Shui inhabited areas of the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province, and is more concentrated in Sandu Shui Autonomous County and the surrounding region; it is collectively transmitted by Shui women in families and villages as units. Local paper cutting is roughly divided into three categories according to use: the sacrificial type is used in rituals such as worshipping the birth mother 'Niangniang Goddess,' for example hanging hand-in-hand human figures; the practical type is used for clothing decoration, with the images of flowers and plants, birds, insects, and fish symbolizing auspiciousness and reproduction as the main motifs; the decorative type revolves around myths and legends, fables, and ethnic migration, with human figures at the center of the picture. Mothers teaching daughters, mothers-in-law transmitting to daughters-in-law, together with mutual viewing among women within the villages, have kept the conceptual symbols of Shui paper cutting stable for a long time. According to the Shui ancient songs, the creation goddess Yawa placed the small paper figures she had cut into a wooden box, and they turned into human beings; human-shaped paper cuttings are also offered during the 'Niangniang Festival' prevalent in Shui regions; combined with the characteristics of paper cutting serving the needs of sacrifice and clothing, it can be seen that the origins of Shui paper cutting date back quite far. Decorative-type paper cutting involves content such as myths and legends, fables, and ethnic migration, mostly with human figures at the center of the picture, supplemented and beautified around them with the traditional decorative vocabulary of paper cutting.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Weibangfen is anchored in the documented technical standards of Paper-cutting in Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou. Within the documented technical tradition of Paper-cutting in Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou: Shui paper cutting is one of the expressive forms of Shui traditional fine arts. It is widely used in folk beliefs and in all aspects of production and life, and is deeply loved by the masses. Shui paper cutting is distributed throughout Shui inhabited areas; the paper cutting of the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province is fairly representative. The patterns of Shui paper cutting are created by the makers according to their own experience, using only scissors to cut. Before cutting, the paper is folded into shapes such as rectangles and triangles as needed, then fixed, after which a sketch is drawn, and finally the pattern is cut according to the drawing. Skilled practitioners rely entirely on a mental draft, using only a fingernail or a wooden stick to imprint a few faint marks on the paper, and can then cut exquisite designs. When a cut goes wrong, the women remedy it according to the paper pattern; such unintentional actions often make the paper-cutting effect more interesting. In modeling and patterns, subjects such as human events, flowers, birds, insects, and fish are cleverly employed; through the techniques of metaphor, analogy, and symbolism, they create an art form in which graphics and auspicious meanings are perfectly combined. The extensive use of these generational, basically stable conceptual symbols in paper cutting has given Shui paper cutting its distinctive modeling characteristics and strong recognizability. Sacrificial-type paper cutting is widely used in sacrificial activities, such as the hand-in-hand human figures hung when worshipping the birth mother 'Niangniang Goddess.' Practical-type paper cutting is used for clothing decoration, with the images of flowers and plants, birds, insects, and fish that symbolize auspiciousness and reproduction as the main motifs. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Niangniang rite and linked-figures cuttings": The classic ritual use: linked human figures hung when sacrificing to the mother deity Niangniang, matching the Niangniang festival of the Shui region. "Repairing a slip of the scissors": When the scissors slip, Shui women mend the sheet to the pattern, an accidental act that often makes the result more interesting and frees it from rigid rule. "Folding, sketching and cutting": Only scissors are used: the paper is folded into rectangles or triangles, fixed, sketched, and finally cut to the drawing. "Cutting wholly from the mind": Skilled women work entirely from a mental design, pressing a few marks into the paper with a fingernail or stick before cutting a fine pattern.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Weibangfen was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Paper-cutting, with Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Paper-cutting in Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2014 (batch 4), with Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou as its declared area, and Qiannan Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Center (Qiannan Culture and Arts Research Institute) as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

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. Weibangfen (Qiannanbuyizumiaozuzizhi, Guizhou) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Weibangfen · China ICH Official Archive