Taiwan, China Paper Cutting Moves Apple: Yang Shih-Yi's Work Shows People and Animals Happy Under a Big Tree

Three weeks ago, the Apple Store Taipei 101, then preparing for its opening, put up a paper-cutting work 75 meters long. The piece, whose main visual is a big tree, is called "Come Sit When You Have Time" and was designed by artist Yang Shih-Yi. With his long hair and full beard, he applied in 2007 for the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's Wanderer Project and went alone to Shaanxi to learn paper cutting; this year happens to be his tenth year in contact with paper cutting.

Happiness Under a Big Tree Is Happiness

Although he is deeply critical in his thinking about issues, when creating he deliberately removes any sharp edge. In the paper-cutting works, the people and animals under the big tree all look very happy, and Yang Shih-Yi regards this state as happiness. "Actually there is something very strict behind me too, it is just that we modern people do not like preaching, and I am not qualified to. I am a very ordinary, insignificant person, so I have no choice but to think about how to make people reflect on themselves," he said.

So he tries to create reflection in a gentle way, letting viewers think about happiness and think about what happiness is. "When you understand, when a sentence and a truth surface in you because of reflection, because of contemplation, that will last a long time. So in my creations I am always thinking about how to let that sentence be born in each person's heart," he said.

Yang Shih-Yi also teaches paper-cutting classes. He says the purpose of the class is not to pass on the craft of paper cutting, but to hope everyone will stop and think about why they use their hands to do things. "I hope in the end everyone hears their own wish and does it well," paper cutting is a tool.

Yesterday (the 1st) the store officially opened, and Yang Shih-Yi's work also retired after completing its mission. Although this work can no longer be seen, the figures from the paper cutting have already leapt into phones, letting phone users convey a happy atmosphere through stickers.

(This article is sponsored by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation for personnel and administrative expenses, but it does not interfere at all with news topic selection or interview writing, ensuring journalistic independence.)