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| Sheep on the cutting edge |
| CCTV.COM 2003-01-29 10:01:51 |
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 In honor of the Year of the Sheep, which officially begins next week, an exhibition featuring sheep made out of paper－cuts opened on Tuesday to tell us more about these paper sheep and their maker.
Using scissors as if they were an extension of her own hands, 32－year－old Liu Naimei, a master of paper－cuts from the Yimeng region in east China's Shandong Province, snipped the ribbon at the opening ceremony of her paper－cut sheep exhibition in Beijing. Though it is only a small show, these paper－cuts depict many different styles of sheep, laid out by the maker's artistic eye.
"Because this year is the year of the Sheep, I wanted to use these paper－cuts to show my best wishes to all the Chinese people. I also hope that people will continue to protect our precious animals," Liu Naimei, artist of National Paper－cut Association.
Using bright and simple designs, Liu's paper－cuts are all typically made with one long flourish of an ordinary pair of scissors. And it is this expertise at the craft that has led to her success.
Paper－cuts have been a traditional folk art in China for 1,600 years. Today, the craft has become more innovative and diversified. However, two aspects remain unchanged. One is that the subject matter is still primarily folk motifs, and the other is that it is still the most popular conduit to celebrate Chinese folk festivals.
In addition to being pleasing on the eye, these paper－cut sheep are also philanthropic. All the money collected through at this exhibition will be donated to the Tibet Autonomous Region for education and environmental protection projects.
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Editor: Han Ling CCTV.com
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