Ma Youfu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Ma Youfu, Male, Han, from Xiantao, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Paper-cutting (Ⅶ-16). The tradition is documented in Xiantao, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Paper-cutting in Xiantao, Hubei:

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Ma Youfu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Paper-cutting in Xiantao, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Paper-cutting in Xiantao, Hubei: Xiantao carved-flower paper cutting, also known as "Mianyang carved-flower paper cutting," is transmitted in the area of Xiantao City, Hubei, and has a long history of development. According to the Mianyang County Gazetteer, Mianyang paper cutting had already developed its own stylistic characteristics by the late Ming and early Qing period, distinguished by balanced compositions and fine carving. When making Xiantao carved-flower paper cutting, the artist uses a graver and white paper on a wax tray to carve embroidery patterns commonly known as "patterns" (huayangzi); during carving, ten to twenty sheets of white paper are generally stacked together. The gravers are mostly adapted from alarm-clock mainsprings and surgical blades, while the wax tray consists of a mixture of rapeseed oil, white wax, and incense-burner ash held in a small round wooden dish. The "patterns" carved by artists are mostly auspicious and festive designs such as "magpies perched on plum blossom," "dragon and phoenix bringing auspiciousness," "mandarin ducks playing in water," "goldfish sporting among lotus," "deer and crane in spring together," "carp leaping over the dragon gate," and "lion rolling an embroidered ball"; they are generally used as embroidery patterns for shoes, insoles, hats, pillows, bibs, bed valances, bed curtains, and door curtains. Xiantao carved-flower paper cutting has complex yet complete compositions, clear contrasts between black and white, solid and void, fluent and neat knife work, fine and rigorous pogong (fine cutting), elegant and even dots and strokes, relaxed and rounded lines, and full, balanced patterns; combining realism with freehand expression, and distortion without loss of the original form, it is rich in artistic language and strongly decorative, occupying a unique place among folk paper cutting. In the 1960s and 1970s Xiantao carved-flower paper cutting suffered a severe blow, and the carving craft cooperatives closed. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Knives made from clock springs and scalpels": Knives are reworked from alarm-clock springs and scalpels, the wax pad is a dish of rapeseed oil, paraffin and incense ash, and ten to twenty sheets are carved at once. "Magpie-on-plum and dragon-and-phoenix patterns": The patterns cut are mostly auspicious: magpie on plum, dragon and phoenix, mandarin ducks, goldfish among lotus, deer and crane, carp leaping the dragon gate, lion with embroidered ball. "Openwork splitting": Hu Jingxian's lines are fluent and his openwork rigorous; his pieces combine relief and intaglio, concise and fine, full and balanced in pattern. "Patterns serving embroidery": The carving was first a draft for embroidery: white-paper patterns are pasted to cloth as a guide, supplying the motifs for shoes, pillow ends, bibs and bed curtains.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Ma Youfu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Paper-cutting, with Xiantao, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Paper-cutting in Xiantao, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Xiantao, Hubei as its declared area, and Xiantao Mass Art Center, Xiantao Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Center (Xiantao Zhenban Culture Service Management 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. Mayoufu (Xiantao, Hubei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Mayoufu · China ICH Official Archive