Au Yeung Ping-chi: The Craft of Paper Offering
From high heels to life-size drum kits, no paper offering is too difficult for Au Yeung Ping-chi to craft. Having studied design at school, his quality 21st-century paper offerings are must-haves for local hungry ghosts. He talks to Jaime Chu about succeeding his father and applying a modern aesthetic to the ancient practice.
HK Magazine: Can you describe the process of making a paper offering?
Au Yeung Ping-chi: Usually the customer gives me a sample image, and then I map out how to make it in my head. Sometimes the image is not enough so I go to the mall to look at a real model. Then I make a dummy with scrap paper before starting work on the real one.
HK: What is the difference between your skills and your father’s more traditional craft?
AC: My father makes his paper offerings with bamboo frames, but I build mine mostly with paper and cardboard. Because I make more modern objects, my customers tend to order them for people who passed away at a younger age.
HK: How much did you know about paper offerings before you started the job?
AC: Not much at all. The first thing I made was a scooter. I just took some scrap paper and cardboard and started messing around.
HK: When did you realize that you really love making paper offerings?
AC: After I made the scooter, I completed a Dance Dance Revolution mat for the Playstation and a robot dog. More people became interested and began ordering from me, so I just kept doing it.
HK: What’s your favorite product so far?
AC: A fishing rod that could physically extend and contract. The best part is, when it was finished, it felt very real.
HK: What motivates you to make such high-quality offerings, as opposed to the easier ordinary kind?
AC: At first it was just for fun, but then I realized that the customers wouldn’t come to me in the first place if they don’t want high quality. So it goes both ways.