He Kefeng is a magician, of sorts. However, instead of using a wand to cast spells, she uses a pair of scissors to create spellbinding paper cuttings.

The 53-year-old is an inheritor of Dunhuang paper cutting, an intangible cultural heritage protected by the central government. Born in Dunhuang, she became accustomed to the intricacies of paper cutting from a young age. As a kid, she developed a love of wall paintings in the nearby Mogao Caves and learned how to paint.

In 1994, He lost the forefinger on her right hand in an accident. Since then, using scissors has become a difficult task and there was a period of time when she lost her confidence in paper cutting altogether.

It was her love for the art form that gave her the strength to persevere and carry on her dream of becoming a master of paper cutting.

The basic skills that He has honed over the years were passed down from her grandmother as a new way of representing the Mogao wall paintings that He loved.

He’s paper cutting artwork Charm of Mogao is among her most famous works and has gained national recognition. He hopes that Dunhuang paper cutting art work can be inherited by more and more young people to ensure its survival into the future.

He Kefeng’s paper cutting version of wall paintings found in Dunhuang Mogao Caves. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

He Kefeng makes a paper cutting artwork according to a painting template on Oct 28. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

He Kefeng makes paper cutting artwork in her studio on Oct 28. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Edited by Jacob Hooson