Fang Liu - Paper Flowers Chinese Style: Create Handmade Gifts and Decorations

On Fig. 1 A slanting work of flower arrangement consisting of handmade paper roses and callas. On Fig. 2 This work is made of crepe paper whose color has faded from sky gray to azure. The flowers, plump and unrestrained, symbolize auspiciousness. Together with blue-and-white Chinese porcelain, they look perfect on the dinner table or in the hallway.

Copyright 2017 Shanghai Press and Publishing Development Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, in any manner, is prohibited. This book is edited and designed by the Editorial Committee of Cultural China series. Text and Photographs: Liu Fang, Yue Yunyun Translation: Zhao Gang Cover Design: Wang Wei Interior Design: Li Jing, Hu Bin (Yuan Yinchang Design Studio) Copy Editor: Gretchen Zampogna Editors: Wu Yuezhou, Cao Yue Editorial Director: Zhang Yicong Senior Consultants: Sun Yong, Wu Ying, Yang Xinci Managing Director and Publisher: Wang Youbu ISBN: 978-1-60220-030-2 Address any comments about Paper Flowers: Chinese Style to: Better Link Press 99 Park Ave New York, NY 10016 USA or Shanghai Press and Publishing Development Co., Ltd. 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Fig. 3 This bouquet, consisting of Austin roses, buttercups and dahlias, is overflowing with enthusiasm.

Fig. 4 These flowers can be made into a wreath for door handle decoration or used as Christmas ornaments. Fig. 5 Consisting of sunflowers and eucalyptus leaves, this flower basket looks warm and enthusiastic, rich in rural flavors. Fig. 6 Arranged in a single-color Chinese vase and decorated with some small wooden vases, the hydrangeas of different colors and density look elegant and unique, adding vitality to corners of your home. Fig. 7 A Chinese flower basket consisting of hydrangeas, daisies and redbud leaves, with contrasting colors. 7 A Chinese flower basket consisting of hydrangeas, daisies and redbud leaves, with contrasting colors.

P aper flowers break free from the restrictions of the flat form and embody three-dimensional beauty. Having become tired of the stereotyped and identical mass-produced products, people in modern society begin to pursue personal tastes and the expression of self. Paper flowers meet this need perfectly by instilling intellectual beauty into the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They are now used extensively in weddings, shop windows, parties, houses, and gift decoration. As it enjoys fine plasticity, paper is ideal for artistic creation. Fig. 8 A slanting work consisting of blue peonies and wisteria vines shows the line beauty of Chinese flower arrangement. 8 A slanting work consisting of blue peonies and wisteria vines shows the line beauty of Chinese flower arrangement.

However, to make such a beautiful and romantic flower out of a thin sheet of paper is by no means easy. It requires of the artist profound cultural accumulation, fine aesthetic attainment, as well as exquisite flower-making skills. Flower culture in China has gone through various stages of development, giving rise to a galaxy of flower-making styles. In March, when flowers bloom gloriously, one may naturally think of some ancient Chinese poems eulogizing flowers, either the elegant and refined lotus flowers in a summer pond, or the fragrant plum blossoms that defy severe cold. For hundreds of years, poets have bestowed various human qualities on flowers. With unique connotations and colors, they are magical wonders worked out by nature.

However, cherishing them alone is not enough. We need artistic creations, such as paper flowers, to bring out the dynamism in real flowers. Fig. 9 The transparent glass vase sets off the elegant, pure white flowers. Fig. 10 The magnolia has a profound message in Chinese culture.

Arranged in a simple black Chinese-style pottery vase, it looks classically natural. Setting and some other elements help highlight the beauty of paper flowers. A blue-and-white porcelain vase, or simply a coarse earthen flower vase, supplemented by some dead branches of diverse shapes, suffices to make the flower special and unique. Since Western floral design focuses on flowers complexity and plumpness and Chinese design on their thinness and brevity, I have been thinking for years about one question: how can we make Chinese elements and Western aesthetic standards set off each other yet remain in good balance? In this book, we have attempted various floral designs that combine Chinese and Western styles and have integrated Western aesthetics into traditional Chinese culture to avoid monotony. The addition of more creative elements into the works has rendered the flowers with a rich post-modern flavor. This book offers readers basic skills of paper flower making.

It enables them to make the listed flowers with their own hands by following the how-to steps and the paper patterns in the appendix. It also helps them to try other possible floral designs. Seeing your own house elegantly decorated with homemade flowers is sure to be pleasant. A life with flowers is free from worry and is brimming with what is beautiful. Yue Yunyun

Fig. 11 The bright-colored paper moth orchids, resembling those adorable dancing butterflies, illuminate and enliven the corner of your windowsill.

T he most beautiful things in this world often do not keep long, such as shooting stars, fireworks, and the prettiest moment of a flower. My love of flowers started when I was very young. Therefore, I cant help feeling melancholy when they wither away. Ten years ago, when I saw paper flowers for the first time, I fell hopelessly in love with them. Since then, I have become addicted to making paper flowers, designing and producing DIY flowers that are as vivid-looking as fresh ones. After quitting my job four years ago, I started a life center in the ancient town of Huishan in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, which combines the activities of making flowers and drinking coffee.

There, I am face-to-face with paper and flowers every day and the life is simple and good. Teaching my students to make paper flowers, I have become acquainted with many lovers of paper flowers from all walks of life. We work together to create flowers that last forever. Nothing in this world is easy to obtain, and the handicraft is no exception. Like others, I have visited paper flower masters, learning from them skills of making paper flowers, and have kept thinking and practicing based on what I read and found online. Gradually, I have developed my own theories about what kind of paper is suitable for making different kinds of flowers.

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