Li Zhu Ying (aka Bamboo Li, b. 1920) of Huangling Village, Shaanxi, was a renowned folk artist working in the medium of cut paper. In her village, inhabited continuously since the neolithic era (c. 8,000-6,000 BCE) papercut patterns originated in preliterate society. Papercuts were likely made in Huangling from c. 250 BCE, when scissors and paper became available.Mother to daughter, for a hundred generations, the patterns were refined for beauty, expanded for new tales needing to be told; collectively updated, timeless in the hands of a master.
She learned over 600 different designs in her lifetime, intentionally archiving the tradition she feared was dying. She added many new works of her own design while rescuing bodies of thematic work nearly lost to the 20th century.
Yet the reason ‘Bamboo’ Li’s work hangs in museums and art institutes around the world has nothing to do with her archival aspirations: it is the way her weightless work can take our breath away; evoke emotional response, spark joy, express a point of view, drop a sly comment.
Living in Xi’an in 1993, I often bought art from her pop-up in front of the Xi’An Friendship Store. One day she asked me if I would translate text for a manuscript scheduled to go to press, and to pay for some of the publication-related expenses. In exchange, she gave me the 270 works featured in that book. She asked me to keep the collection together and to share the work, especially with women, especially with Americans. Here they are. Beautiful messages of resilience, from the deep, nearly lost analog past, courtesy of the inimitable Bamboo Li. The message I take from her legacy: “Every moment breathes.Be present, joyful, courageous, rooted.” A voice from the tap roots of civilization. Pay attention.