Red Paper, Silver Blade

This book tells the inspiring story of Song Xinyue, the female heir to a family of paper-cutting artists in Suihai County, Northeast China. Guided by the belief that "folk art belongs among the people, not just in museums," she overcomes obstacle after obstacle and breaks through the Song family's closely guarded tradition of keeping its paper-cutting techniques secret. She establishes paper-cutting classes for laid-off women workers and gradually brings this intangible cultural heritage to a wider audience, turns it into an industry, and attracts a younger generation to it.