Paper-cut, known as the most common folk art in China, can date back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties when Chinese ancestors engraved flower patterns on gold and silver spangles and cut leathers as decorations. The extant earliest unearthed paper-cut works were made during the Southern and Northern dynasties Paper-cut, known as the most common folk art in China, can date back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties when Chinese ancestors engraved flower patterns on gold and silver spangles and cut leathers as decorations. The extant earliest unearthed paper-cut works were made during the Southern and Northern dynasties