The art of Chinese paper cutting has held fast through the ages because of the precise and impressive skills required of its practitioners and the deep significance it holds for Chinese history and culture.

With the coming of the year of the dragon, a paper-cutting artist ties these together with a series of cuttings in celebration of the changeover. Geng Yanzhen has been dedicated to the art for more than thirty years.

Trimming the figures with scissors and a knife, the dragons he crafts seem almost alive to the impressive skills he has honed over the years.

He has been producing the yearly zodiac-cuttings since 2006, partly out of tribute to the history of the art, and partly in hopes of good luck in the coming year.