On the evening of November 28, 2025, a lively paper-cutting experience class was held by the lakeside at Jinghu. Organized by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the event served as a practical extension of the general education courses "Chinese for Foreign Learners" and "Introduction to China," attracting around 40 international students from all over the world. In this engaging Chinese cultural class, participants immersed themselves in the unique charm of paper-cutting art and the profound heritage of Chinese culture.
Event Highlights
The event began with the host briefly explaining its purpose, emphasizing the cultural value of paper-cutting as a national-level intangible cultural heritage project, and encouraging the international students to deepen their cultural understanding through hands-on creation. Subsequently, Wu Haifeng, the fourth-generation inheritor of Shenzhen's intangible cultural heritage "artistic paper-cutting," launched the art appreciation session with an accessible presentation. She explained the compositional elements of paper-cutting works, with a special focus on the auspicious symbolism of patterns such as "福" (fortune) and "元宝" (gold ingot), allowing the attending international students to appreciate traditional wisdom and Chinese temperament through cultural symbols.
Hands-on Teaching and Creation
During the practical teaching session, the instructor explained in detail the usage of paper-cutting tools, demonstrating scissor grip, paper folding, and hollow-out techniques. In the hands-on creation phase, the international students boldly integrated Eastern and Western cultures: their depictions of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, flying birds, and auspicious clouds retained Eastern charm while cleverly incorporating their own cultural characteristics and popular symbols, resulting in a creative cross-cultural dialogue.
International Students Showcase Their Paper-Cutting Works
Bibchenko Polina from Russia said she greatly enjoyed the atmosphere of the event and especially looked forward to learning calligraphy skills in future activities. Gulbahor Inoyatova from Uzbekistan felt very fancy after trying paper-cutting for the first time and mentioned that it would be even more fun to create with friends. BORGES DA FONSECA DANIEL from Brazil had previously been exposed to traditional Chinese culture through courses and DVDs, particularly enjoying paper-cutting art. He shared that with the instructor's detailed and skilled guidance, what initially seemed complex became much simpler. Izuchukwu Temilade Nwagbara from Nigeria developed an interest in Chinese culture through movies featuring Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. He learned about China through films and music, showing a special fondness for drama and songs. He also noted that although Nigeria has its own paper-cutting tradition, Chinese paper-cutting is more intricate and complex. He was very happy to experience such a paper-cutting class before leaving China.
Students Share Their Experiences
This event used paper-cutting as a bridge, allowing international students to experience the vitality of Chinese culture through the small red paper sheets. To build a sustainable platform for exchange and mutual learning among Chinese and international students, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences will continue to explore the potential of general education courses, striving to diversify and systematically integrate a series of traditional Chinese cultural experience courses into teaching practices. Together, we aim to build a humanities community and inject continuous vitality into campus culture.
Group Photo of Teachers and Students
