Architect turns Papercutter, Linking Old and Modern
Visitors to the city should be given the Hong Kong Heritage Map, with more than 300 historical buildings to visit – enough to stay for several weeks!
This is the work of Nick Tsao, founder of Papertecture and the city’s most prominent modern papercutter. In 2023, he gave up a lucrative career in architecture to devote himself to this ancient craft.
He uses the software skills he learnt as an architect – photoshop, indesign, ipad sketching and 3D modelling – to introduce contemporary design and word-play.
He now earns more than he did as an architect. “My main income comes from VIP gifts for luxury brands, graphic designs, physical products I make myself and teaching. Craftsmanship is an important carrier of tradition across generations.”
Nick comes from an international Chinese family. His maternal great-grandfather was a businessman in French-ruled Saigon. Born in Hong Kong, his parents went to boarding schools and universities in Britain, where they met.
Back in Hong Kong, his mother worked in the garment industry before becoming a private chef. Nick and his elder brother had their first hand-cutting practice in slicing vegetables for their mother’s large-scale dinners. At home, she spoke to them in both English and Cantonese.
After studying in St Stephen’s College Preparatory School in Stanley, Nick went to West Island School, an ESF school. An outstanding student, he achieved 43 out of a perfect 45 in the International Baccalaureate exam in 2009.
He applied to study Architecture at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. It demanded a personal interview, so he had to fly to UK. “There were 20 applicants for the single place at the college. To my great good fortune, the interviewing professor Di Haigh had taught at HK University and we shared stories about Pokfulam. That was key.”
His grandfather donated 50 per cent of the college fees. Relatives provided an interest-free loan for the rest; he paid them back over eight years.
In 2013, he went to Chinese University of Hong Kong to do a two-year Masters in Architecture. In the holidays, he worked as an architectural assistant at Foster & Partners, to earn money to pay back his student loans.
In 2015, on a work trip to Beijing, he visited old paper-cutting shops and was entranced by what he saw. “Their creations were very beautiful and very traditional. There was no creativity.”
After his return to Hong Kong, he started papercutting at home. “In the markets here, I found plastic and fake papercuttings, not paper. At an incense shop, I bought 50 pieces of red paper for HK$100. I found references from Google and a small children’s book from Taiwan which I bought at the Eslite bookshop.”
He began by making designs for Chinese New Year and sending them to friends. Initially, he used knives. Then, in 2021, he bought a cutting machine for HK$3,000; this allowed him to produce in larger quantities.
During a year’s work in New York, he did modern designs for the Year of the Dog and sent them to many Overseas Chinese. “They were delighted to see modern designs.”
In 2023, he decided to leave Herzog & de Meuron, the architecture firm he was working with. “My mother initially questioned my decision, as did my elder brother, a lawyer. He only agreed after I told him that, within two years, I would earn more than as an architect.”
He worked part-time in the firm for a further 18 months, three days a week. In July 2024, he set up Papertecture, previously known as Tsaoao Design.
In 2022, he moved into the Grade 1-listed Blue House in Wanchai. Together with the Yellow House behind it, it has eight of the original residents and 12 units like his rented to outsiders. A condition of the tenancy is to contribute to the community.
He designs the layout of decorations during festivals, giving classes and tours of the building. “I like the Blue House but it is very noisy. The floors are made of wood. We hear the radio of our neighbours listening to Cantonese Opera.
“The beauty of papercutting lies in its vast creative potential and immediate gratification,” he said. “I hope to use the Blue House to spread knowledge and skills of papercutting crafts.”
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