Duan Jianjun records paper-cutting patterns in an old residence in Horinger County, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 15, 2024. The Horinger paper-cutting has formed a unique artistic style with rich patterns demonstrating animals, plants and folk customs, which is closely related to the geographical location of Horinger County, a place boasts a long history of both farming civilization and nomadic civilization. The craft was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008.

Duan Jianjun, 51, is a national representative inheritor of Horinger paper-cutting. Since 1994, Duan has been engaged in the protection work of Horinger paper-cutting techniques by collecting dictations from elderly people to record paper-cutting instructions and patterns. His work has brought many endangered skills and a large number of precious patterns back to life.

In recent years, with the support of local authorities, Duan established an institute for the sake of popularizing Horinger paper-cutting. He has also set up paper-cutting courses in schools to attract young people's attention. "Paper-cutting is an art coming from our life, and it would be better passed on by serving people," Duan said. [Xinhua/Bei He]