Chaozhou was an important historic centre for ceramic exports to South East. There were several kilns in the area to produce low cost pottery. Some of the broken pottery found its way to become the raw material for the making of Cut & Paste Shard Art, 剪黏. From it spread northward into Fukien. Because of its historical relationship with Fukien, Taiwan adopted Shard Art as decoration to its Chinese temple. Importantly in the early 20th Century a group of craftsman migrated to Taiwan and start producing Cut & Paste Shard Art there. Today Taiwan is an important centre of the art. It is also a new frontier of pushing the boundary of the traditional art forward. A new generation of children is educated on the art. Today, monochrome pottery coffee cups made in Japan are used as raw material. 剪瓷雕 / 剪花 / 剪黏 25 Jun 2014.

1. First created 13 Apr 2014. Version 2.0 - 8 Dec 2020. Daperro. London.
Shard Art
Chinese Cut & Paste Shard Art
剪黏

2. History – Koji Pottery
In southern coastal Chinese temples, it is common practice to decorate the main ridge of their temple with soft
pottery figurines. Each piece was made individually. It is a time consuming and expensive business. These
pottery figurines are called Koji pottery. Soft colour pottery originates during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Ceramic figurines on the main ridge of the roof at Tin Hau Temple, Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong.
交趾陶

3. History – Koji Pottery 交趾陶
An example of a traditional Koji figurine of a cavalry military officer on horse back.

4. Cut & Paste Shard figurines on the ridge of the temple Chen Hoon Teng in Malacca, Malaysia.
剪瓷雕 / 剪花 / 剪黏
Cut & Paste Shard Art is mainly found in the province of Fujian, Guangdong, Taiwan and
throughout Southeast Asia. Originally, Cut & Paste Shard Art used broken pottery shards as
raw material. It was a cheap alternative to the more expensive Koji pottery. One school said,
it was started in Chaozhou 潮州, Guangdong around 1573 to 1620 in the reign of Wanli, in
the Ming Dynasty. Soon it spread north to southern Fujian. In 1912, some Cut & Paste
Shard Art Shard artists immigrated to Taiwan, which is now an important centre for the craft.
Jian Nian or Shard Art

5. Raw Material
Today these brightly colour bowls are the raw material for the Cut & Paste Shard artists.

6. Preparation
Then the pottery is cut into various different shapes and sizes to be pasted onto figurines.

7. Cutting
A large piece of pottery is cut into the desired shape with a diamond cutter.

8. Cutting & Wire Frame
Note in this case a wire frame was used as the base for the support of the Shard Flower.

9. Shards are pasted onto a frame to form part of the relief picture. Yengkeng Hotel. George Town, Penang.
Pasting

10. Vihara Sien, Pattaya, Thailand
Vihara Sien Chinese Temple, nr Pattaya.

11. The Bao-An Temple in Taipei, it an important temple of the city. It is a 230 year old Taoist and
Chinese folk religion temple. It has a shard art roof at its entrance.
Bao-An Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Details

12. Detail of the Cut & Paste Shard Art pieces on the ridge of the gateway entrance to the Bao-An Temple in Taipei, Taiwan.
Bao-An Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Details

13. Very colourful Cut & Paste Shard Art on the main entrance gateway, Bao-An Chinese Temple, Taipei, Taiwan.
Bao-An Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Details

14. This is the main temple building with its roof-top Cut & Paste Shard Art, Bao-An Temple in Taipei.
Bao-An Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Details

15. Cut & Paste Shard Art on the main temple building, Bao-An Chinese Temple, Taipei, Taiwan.
Bao-An Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Details

16. Roof dragon at the Bao-An Chinese Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Note how the sea waves are depicted.
Bao-An Temple, Taipei, Taiwan. Details

17. Dragon Fountain Park, nr Bao-An Chinese Temple, Taipei, Taiwan.
Dragon Fountain Park, Taipei, Taiwan

18. Dragon Fountain Park, Taipei, Taiwan.
Dragon Fountain Park,
Taipei, Taiwan

19. Mengjia Longshan Chinese Temple, Taipei, Taiwan.
Mengjia Longshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan

20. Le Cheng Matsu Chinese Temple, Taichung, Taiwan.
Le Cheng Temple, Taichung, Taiwan

21. Roof phoenix on the Le Cheng Matsu Chinese Temple, Taichung, Taiwan.
Le Cheng Temple, Taichung, Taiwan

22. Shantow. Guangdong, China
Roof decoration on a Chinese temple, Shantow, Guangdong, China..

23. Roof decoration on a Chinese temple, Shantow, Guangdong, China..
Shantow. Guangdong, China

24. Guandi Temple, Xiamen, Fukien, China
Guandi Temple, Dongshan Island, Xiamen, Fukien the roof ridge is decoration with Cut & Paste
Shard art.

25. Detail of the roof ridge Shard art decoration. Guandi Temple, Dongshan Island, Xiamen.
Guandi Temple, Xiamen, Fukien, China

26. Tin Hau Temple, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
It is unusual to find Cut and Paste Shard art in Hong Kong’s Temple. Of all the main temples in
Hong Kong, this is the only example I can find. It is on the roof ridge of the Causeway Bay Tin
Hau Temple. The dragons are made of Cut & Paste Shard art, while the rest of the decoration are
Koji pottery.

27. Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca, Malaysia
Built in 1645 during Dutch rule, the Cheng Hoon Teng temple has the longest history of any
Chinese temple in Malaysia.

28. Cut & Paste figures on the ridge of the Cheng Hoon Teng main temple.
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca, Malaysia

29. Part of the Eight Immortals of Taoist gods on the ridge of the Cheng Hoon Teng temple.
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca, Malaysia

30. A group of fighting figures on the ridge of the Cheng Hoon Teng main temple. (Background
removed for clarity).
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca, Malaysia

31. Two lions on the ridge of the Cheng Hoon Teng main temple.
Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca, Malaysia

32. A Cut & Paste Shard Art
panel on the gable of the
Cheng Hoon Teng main
temple.
Cheng Hoon Teng
Temple, Malacca,
Malaysia

33. Yengkeng Hotel, Penang, Malaysia
Mythical Chinese phoenix. Yengkeng Hotel. George Town, Penang.

34. Mythical Chinese phoenix. Yengkeng Hotel. George Town, Penang.
Yengkeng Hotel, Penang, Malaysia

35. Hainan Temple, Penang, Malaysia
The entrance gateway to the Hainan Temple. George Town, Penang.

36. A dragon in detail at the entrance gateway to the Hainan Temple. George Town, Penang.
Hainan Temple, Penang, Malaysia

37. Dragons on the ridge of the main Hainan Temple. George Town, Penang.
Hainan Temple, Penang, Malaysia

38. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia
All the panel was the work of Li Wucai (Five colours Li) in 1898. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze
Mansion.

39. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

40. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

41. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

42. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia
Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

43. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion,
Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze
Mansion. Detail.

44. This one includes a clock in the art work. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

45. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia
This one includes two housing boxes. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang.

46. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. Detail.

47. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia
This one also has two housing boxes. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang.

48. Balcony panel, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion. Detail.

49. Cut & Paste panel uses for gable decoration, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

50. Snake Temple, Penang, Malaysia
Cut & Paste dragon on the roof of the Snake Temple, Penang, Malaysia.

51. Khoo Kongsi, Penang, Malaysia
Cut & Paste Shard Art on the roof of the magnificent Khoo Kongsi Clan House, Penang, Malaysia.

52. One of the four main panel on the roof of the clan house. Khoo Kongsi Clan House, Penang.
Khoo Kongsi, Penang, Malaysia

53. Khoo Kongsi, Penang, Malaysia
One of the four main panel on the roof of the clan house. Khoo Kongsi Clan House, Penang.

54. Sculptural piece
A sculptural Cut & Paste Shard
statue, made up of patterned and
decorated ceramic, instead of the
monochrome pieces, made by 陳三火.

55. Music – Once Upon a Time by Ernesto Cortazar.
A large Cut & Paste Shard Art sculpture depicting the meeting of two eagles, Taiwan.
The
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