Noodle shop owner draws crowds with her art

Yuan Mei creates paper-cutting artworks in her studio on the second floor of her noodle shop in Tai'an. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yuan Mei may run a noodle shop in Tai'an, but the 41-year-old is perhaps better known as an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage item of Taishan paper-cutting.

A native of Tianshui in Gansu province, Yuan had in 2008 moved to Tai'an, where she started to learn about the art of Taishan paper-cutting.

In fact, the woman still does paper-cutting in the studio located on the second floor of her noodle shop restaurant every day. Yuan said she is currently working on a paper-cutting artwork that features almost all the iconic scenes of Mount Tai.

"Some customers come to eat noodles just because they want to check out my artworks, and this gives me a great sense of achievement," she said.

One of Yuan Mei's paper-cutting artworks that features elements of Mount Tai. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yuan Mei cuts paper into diverse patterns. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]