Cutting edge of tradition

Waiting process

Born in Zhangpu county, Fujian province, which is known as the "hometown of paper-cutting art", Ye got interested in the craft when he was a boy. Collecting cigarette boxes and tea packages as material, he had most of his childhood memories connected with paper-cutting.

In 1999, then in junior middle school, he won second place in a national competition for calligraphy and painting. In 2000, he won gold medal at a folk art competition held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Knowing his talent in art and facing financial pressure at school, Ye applied for an advertisement designer's job in Xiamen, Fujian, after finishing junior middle school at the age of 16. He then changed jobs on three occasions, from designer, hotel waiter to tea dealer. However, he never stopped making paper-cut designs. From 1999 to 2011, his artworks won awards at events across the country.