The Muse College held the activity “Couplets’ writing and Paper-cutting for Spring Festival” in Room 407, Zhiren Building on 13^th January 2017. Delighted about the coming New Year, the students were awaiting in the classroom before the lesson started.

The first section went to paper-cutting for window decoration. Enriched with a distant origin and a long development, the Chinese paper-cutting includes the refined ancient handicraft art that symbolizes the good hope for life from the ancient folks. Yuan Manjun, the Shenzhen folk arts master was invited as the instructor, initiated the workshop by clipping a rooster in response to the coming Chinese Lunar Year of the Rooster.

Soon an appealing rooster came into sight.

Master Yuan showed students the “Yin and Yang Paper-cut”. Regarded as the high level in paper-cutting, this strategy enables people to cut out two identical patterns from one piece of paper without paper scraps.

An exquisite “Yin and Yang Paper-cut” work brought Master Yuan a round of applause from students.

Students could not wait to have a try after seeing Master Yuan’s wonderful masterpiece. With the initiative of creating the New Year’s atmosphere, Master Yuan taught the students to cut out a rooster-shaped paper-cut work. With the moving of the scissors, students immersed themselves in paper-cutting work under Master Yuan’s instructions.   

Master Yuan was offering instructions on the students’ paper cutting.

Holding their excellent paper-cuts, students took the photograph with Master Yuan to mark the activity.

The second part was the Couplet-writing. The lecturer was Mr. Kuang Hongli, an Academician of Shenzhen Calligraphers' Association. Mr Kuang started the lesson by showing the couplets for the Muse College, wishing the students a fresh beginning in the coming New Year and smooth school life in future.

Mr. Kuang’s couplets for the Muse College

To begin with, Mr. Kuang briefly introduced the Calligraphy’s development and the Four Treasures of Study, which is used to denote the writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and rice paper. Basing on the Eight Principles of Chinese character Yong(永), Mr.Kuang taught the basic techniques of writing. Patiently, students were imitating the teacher’s writing stroke by stroke.

After students got acquainted, Mr. Kuang handed out the couplet papers to initiate the couplet-writing part.

The students with couplets took a group photo with the lecturer.

Though most students in the activity were novices in paper-cutting and calligraphy, students’ work were remarkable under the professional instructions. The teachers also gave credit to the students with encouragement. More significantly, the students gained a firsthand experience of profound Chinese tradition, and obtained a brand new perception of the word New Year. Hope the red Chinese couplets and paper-cuts would bring students a sanguine and propitious New Year.