Lee Sing-man, aka Uncle Man, Teaches Hong Kong People the Art of Paper Tearing
Fot the past decade, he has taught the traditional Chinese folk art of tearing shapes from a single piece of paper to anyone who wants to learn.
What inspired you to start paper tearing? I used to go back to Guangzhou every year to celebrate Chinese New Year. In 1983, I went back as usual, and was sitting in my family’s home with nothing to do. I saw next to me a bowl of mandarin oranges, and with them was a fai chun [auspicious decoration] that had daai gat [大吉, lots of luck] written on it. There happened to be some red paper on a table nearby, so I tried tearing the paper into the shape of the words. My mother-in-law liked it so much she hung it on the wall. I knew nothing about paper-tearing back then. I just did my first piece out of curiosity.
What do you think people can learn from studying this art form? If you are diligent enough and keep practising, you learn two things. First, this art form improves your confidence. I put my fingers exactly where I am going to tear. Second, it stimulates quick thinking. Your mind is able to construe almost immediately how to create the piece as soon as you’re told what words to make. You have to sketch the layout in your head before you begin tearing.
Do you make a living from paper-tearing? No, I receive social security assistance from the government. I don’t collect tuition fees from my students. Some of the organizations who have invited me to teach pay me whatever they can. Some of my friends assumed that I would be invited to teach many paper-tearing classes and make big money from them, as I have given many media interviews. But I just take what I’m given. Before retiring, I worked as a courier for a shipping company. I was very happy because I got to meet many people. I used to tear paper while waiting outside offices for staff to collect their parcels.
Can you run us through the steps for creating a torn-paper work? There aren’t any specific techniques. Normally I use the “three Cs” to teach others. The first one is to “see:” You observe and comprehend the layout from what you can see. The second one is si haau [思考, to think]: You think and arrange the piece in your mind. The third one is si [撕, to tear]: You begin tearing. The “three Cs” are all about coordinating your heart, hand and brain at the same time.
