Next, she opened the painting Blooming Prosperous Times, created by the Yuncheng Peony Calligraphy-and-Painting Research Centre of Caozhou Academy of Painting and Calligraphy. A grey-haired overseas Chinese removed his sunglasses, leaned close to observe the painting for nearly half a minute. He swallowed softly and murmured: “It reminds me of peonies back home, yet it has its own unique charm.” He held up his phone, capturing the vivid red peony on screen.

　　David Suchocki, a local public-office candidate in a dark suit, gently touched the edge of one painting before drawing his hand back. “These works are stunning. They give me a genuine sense of the charm of Chinese culture,” he commented.

　　Bill Engst provided English commentary on the distinctive cutting texture of paper-cut art, explaining how asymmetrical hollow-out patterns reflect the aesthetic spirit of Eastern art. Anjana Patel listened intently, her gaze fixed on the bright-red paper-cut pieces. A young Chinese-American girl whispered to her mother: “Were these cut by a machine?” Her mother shook her head. “Every pattern is hand-crafted, one snip at a time.” The girl then pulled out her phone and began recording video.

　　As the sun sank low, long shadows spread across the lawn. One attendee held a paper-cut up toward sunlight, revealing fine, detailed veins of the peony shining through the thin paper.

　　“Paper-cut artworks are fragile and cannot stand wind or rain,” Zhang Li noted. “Still, they are able to cross oceans, because people cherish and protect them with great care.”