A cut above

According to painter Li Zijian: "Li Baofeng's paper-cutting realizes a harmony of scissors and paper. They combine both traditional and creative techniques, and show both true-life depictions and the inner essence of different themes."

"Scissors are still scissors," Li says. "Techniques are improved based on the traditional techniques, and I pay special attention to the cultural connotations behind my works, showing a lot about Chinese literature, folk life and folk stories," says Li.

Her representative series about the ancient Chinese classic, The Dream of the Red Chamber, includes more than 100 works depicting the 120 chapters of the book. The very first one, called Grand View Garden, attracted a lot of attention when it was exhibited in Beijing in 1999.