Traditional Chinese handicrafts regularly feature on postage stamps, and paper-cutting art is a popular choice because of the vivid colors, joyful motifs and primitive charm they use.

China Post issued a set of four postage stamps on Jan 24 showing various styles of paper cutting from northern China. Each bears a face price of 1.2 yuan (18.7 US cents).

Two stamps demonstrate paper-cutting techniques from Xinjiang county in Shanxi province and Yuxian county in Hebei province respectively, both of which favor motifs borrowed from time-honored local operas.

A third stamp shows the scissor art of Heling'er county in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region that portrays everyday life on the grasslands.

The fourth stamp depicts a type of paper-cutting found in Xunyi county in Shaanxi province, which is often drawn from folk tales and boasts a vibrant palette combined with imaginative patterns and auspicious motifs.