Paper-cutting is one of the key folk art skills in China, with a history that can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) when Cai Lun invented paper.

Baotou paper-cutting incorporates grassland and nomadic culture into the art form and was listed as part of China’s preserved cultural heritage in 2010. More than 230 Baotou paper-cutting creations won national and international awards, and more than 1200 have been collected by art institutions including UNESCO, the National Art Museum of China and the National Museum of China.

After years of the art form being passed along to new generations, a group of artists and individuals represented by Yao Hongxia, Liu Jinglan, Zheng Hudie and Sun Erlin, known as the “four sisters of grassland paper-cutting”, have emerged.

To further promote and preserve the art form of Baotou paper-cutting, courses on paper-cutting were introduced to schools in Baotou in 2014.

Baotou opens a Mongolian yurt-shaped museum to promote Baotou paper-cutting, Aug 18. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]