Chi Fuxin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Chi Fuxin, Male, Han, from Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Paper-cutting (Ⅶ-16). The tradition is documented in Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Paper-cutting in Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei: Hand-cut paper cutting of this kind takes a long time to produce and has low economic value, making it difficult to meet the demands of a market-economy era; the gradual fading of local folk customs and the ever-shrinking demand for paper cutting have pushed this ancient folk art further into difficulties. By the Ming dynasty, the paper-cutting art of Xiaogan had become increasingly mature. After the Qing dynasty, Xiaogan paper-cutting technique developed from cutting with scissors to engraving and hollowing with a knife.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Chi Fuxin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Paper-cutting in Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Paper-cutting in Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei: Xiaogan City lies in the northeast of Hubei Province and is one of the birthplaces of Chu culture. Its long history, distinctive environment, and wholesome folk customs together gave rise to Xiaogan's profound cultural heritage, nurturing Xiaogan carved-flower paper cutting, a gem of folk art in the Jingchu region. The history of Xiaogan carved-flower paper cutting can be traced back to the Western Jin period, when paper-cutting customs in Xiaogan were already closely combined with folk practices; local people were accustomed to "cutting paper into human figures on renri (the seventh day of the first lunar month), or engraving gold foil into human forms." In 1952, the Xiaogan County Carved-Flower Paper-Cutting Artists Association and the Xiaogan County Carved-Flower Paper Cutting Research Institute were established, actively carrying out conservation and promotion work; to date, more than two thousand paper-cut works in different styles have been preserved and created, many of them selected for exhibitions and sales in more than ten countries and regions across Europe and Asia, winning a number of major awards. Combining the strengths of southern and northern art, Xiaogan carved-flower paper cutting stands apart in the forest of Chinese folk art with its fresh, lively, simple, and elegant style. Its craft techniques mainly comprise two methods: "cutting" (jian) and "carving" (diao). The works are delicate and graceful, combining line and surface, alternating solid and void, well judged in density, with refined compositions, concise lines, fluent knife work, rigorous pogong (fine cutting), strong rhythm, and clear themes; they give a sense of plainness, purity, health, and liveliness, and possess great ornamental and decorative value. Xiaogan carved-flower paper cutting is rich in content; its works often take longevity, auspiciousness, happiness, and festivity as their themes, and skillfully employ homophonic puns, implied meanings, symbolism, and subtlety to express people's pursuit of and yearning for a better life. At present, Xiaogan carved-flower paper cutting already faces many difficulties in its development. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Cutting and carving side by side": The craft combines scissors and knife: delicate, combining line and plane, with rigorous openwork that resembles ink outline drawing. "Cutting human figures on Renri": Its history reaches back to the Western Jin, when local people cut or hammered human figures on Renri, the seventh day of the first month. "The cutters' association and research institute": Founded in 1952, the county's cutters' association and research institute have preserved and created more than two thousand works in different styles. "Hundred Phoenixes, The Huaiyin Story, Traditional Patterns": Guan Lifang's Hundred Phoenixes, made with her teacher, and works such as The Huaiyin Story and Traditional Patterns were exhibited and awarded, some shown in more than ten Eurasian countries.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Chi Fuxin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Paper-cutting, with Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Paper-cutting in Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei as its declared area, and Xiaonan District Cultural Center 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. Chifuxin (Xiaoganshixiaonan, Hubei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Chifuxin · China ICH Official Archive