Pei Haozheng (Chinese: 裴浩正; Pinyin: Péi Hào Zhèng; born Nanjing, Jiangsu in 1996), also known as Hotz Pei,[1] is a Chinese origami artist, TV program designer, and the holder of two Guinness World Records.[2][3] He received his master's degree from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore in 2021.[4]

Pei Haozheng
Born1996 (age 27–28)
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
NationalityChinese
EducationMaster of Science
Alma materNanyang Technological University
OccupationArtist
Notable workZijin Grass
TelevisionSuper Brain, Forward to the Future, Voice, Day Day Up
AwardsGuinness World Records

Pei has designed several origami-themed TV projects[2] and hundreds of lifelike models, promoting the origami art form to a growing audience. His work has a positive nouveau influence on modern origami art because of its cultural value and humanitarian ideal. For instance, his Zijin Grass is known to over 100 million people as the "flower of peace" in remembrance of victims.[1][4][5][6]

Pei has been a judge or guest on the programs Super Brain, Forward to the Future, Voice, Day Day Up, and Power of Youth.[3][7] His artwork has received many awards such as “China Outstanding Cultural, Social, and Educational Case”, etc., and is collected by many museums, including the Guinness World Records Museum, etc.[3]

Origami change

Pei started folding paper when he was in kindergarten. At first, he learned origami from teachers and parents, and later he copied the patterns from books. In early 2007, he came across a crease pattern designed by Robert J. Lang, an origami master from the United States. It was mind-blowing for him, and it opened for him a new world of ideas for the art.

He continued to learn origami through theory books, such as Origami Design Secrets by Mr. Lang. As the quantity of his work grew, so did its variety and quality. During his middle school education, Pei created several unique designs, including a 60-centimeter-tall work featuring an angel with six wings folded from a 2-meter-long square sheet of paper. It took him numerous attempts to get everything right.

In 2016, Pei won a bronze prize at the International Origami Internet Olympiad (IOIO). The next year, he became the champion of the competition. For the event's final task, he folded an ancient Chinese woman holding a mirror from a sheet of handmade xuanzhi (rice paper), which impressed judges with its exquisite shape and Eastern style. In 2018, he was invited to be the event's task designer. His work Bailuyuan was selected as the edition's mascot,[4] which attracted the attention of contestants from 54 countries and regions.[8]

In 2019, Pei attended the Zijin Grass International Peace Summer School and taught origami to several international peace envoys.[6][9] In June of that year, he devoted to the "Micro Light Program" jointly initiated by Amity Foundation and Ergeng Public Welfare, which has enlightened more than 50,000 students.[10]

In 2021, Pei participated in an exhibition — "The Praise of Youth · Centennial of the Original Mind" in Beijing, China, which attracted over 72,500 visitors. [11]

In April 2022, to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the May Fourth Movement, Pei released a tutorial on how to fold a newspaper into a flower, named The Flower in May representing the country’s young generation.[12][13] On 9 September of that year, he set a Guinness World Record for the most origami flowers made from a single sheet of paper. A team of four led by him spent five days folding an origami deer with 100 twisty roses on its antlers from a 3-meter-long square sheet of paper.[14] In November, he was awarded the honorary title of "Boao Youth Leader" by a former Chinese foreign minister at the Boao Youth Development Conference.[15]

In March 2023, Pei set his second Guinness World Record for the largest origami snail.[16][17] He then gave a lecture, "The Mark of Origami", at MSL of Tianjin University.[3] In May, he took part in the activity of "National Science and Technology Workers Day" at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.[18] In June, as a special guest of the Lenovo Beijing Future Center, he gave a lecture, "A Glimpse of Science and Art with a Piece of Paper".[19] In July, he attended Youyang Poetry Festival in Chongqing with many famous artists, scientists, and cultural relics experts.[20]

Variety shows change

In 2017 and 2018, Pei was invited to the Chinese version of Super Brain, a competitive reality show on Jiangsu Satellite TV. The show gave him an opportunity to meet Mr. Lang, both as judges for the show. Pei made 20 models for display there and received the praise of Mr. Lang for his repertoire of techniques.[2][4]

In late 2018, Pei took up the challenge of creating a solar panel in origami style at Forward to the Future, a science show on China Central Television. He successfully built the panel that folds up to 1 square meter, which when unfolded becomes a structure of 81 square meters.[4]

In 2020, Pei participated in 10 episodes of Power of Youth, a competitive reality show on Anhui Satellite TV. He successfully went through all the challenges about ancient and modern civilization and won the most "power medals" as well as a scientific research fund.[21]

In 2021, on behalf of Chinese youth, Pei was invited to express his ideas at Voice, the first open class for youth on China Central Television. He gave an "Ice Cube" Voronoi tessellation model to Zheng Fang, the architect of several Olympic stadiums in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.[22][23]

In 2022, Pei was invited to deliver a speech titled "5 Minutes to Change the Future" at Day Day Up on Hunan Satellite TV, bringing a new perspective to the audience.[7]

Year English title Chinese title Notes Ref.
2017 Super Brain 4 《最强大脑第四季》 Episode: Yueran Zhishang [2]
2018 Super Brain 5 《最强大脑之燃烧吧大脑》 Episode: The Mystery of Paper and Dots [24]
2018 Forward to the Future 3 《加油!向未来第三季》 Episode: Aerospace Origami [25]
2020 Power of Youth 《青春的力量》 10 episodes [21]
2021 Voice 《开讲啦》 Episode: 2022 Winter Olympic Games [22]
2022 Day Day Up 《天天向上》 Episode: 5 Minutes to Change the Future [7]

Renowned works change

  • 2010-19, Zijin Grass, Nanjing Massacre Museum, Nanjing[26]
  • 2013, Phoenix, Asian Youth Games, Nanjing
  • 2015, Jiao Ren ("Mermaid"), UNESCO, Beijing
  • 2016, Lotus’ Charm, First China Service Trade Innovation and Development Summit, Wuhan, China
  • 2018, Crane, Robert Desimone — director of the MIT McGovern Institute, Cambridge, USA
  • 2018, Shou Wang ("Antelope") and Dragonfly Standing on a Lotus, Jiangsu Satellite TV, Nanjing[8]
  • 2018, Solar Panels, China Central Television, Beijing[27]
  • 2019, Join Hands to Build a Peaceful China, International Poster Biennale for Peace (IPBP), Nanjing[28]
  • 2021, Yuanhang Bainian ("100 Years of Sailing"), Chinese Communist Party, Beijing[29]
  • 2022, Huasheng Manlu ("Deer with 100 Flowers") and Flower in May, China Daily, Beijing[8]
  • 2023, Grand Rabbit, Nanjing Gaochun Museum, Nanjing[30]
  • 2023, Fibonacci Snail, China International Cittaslow Museum, Nanjing[31]

Awards and honors change

Year Award/honor Ref.
2016-17 Bronze Prize of the IOIO VI and Gold Prize of the IOIO VII [32]
2018 China "Yilin Cup" Literature Award [2]
2018 Award of China Central Television English Speaking and Talent Competition [2]
2019 IPBP Finalist Award [28]
2021 China Outstanding Cultural, Social, and Educational Case [33]
2021 China Top 100 Cultural and Creative Product [34]
2021 Excellent Demonstration Project of Museum Education Cases in Jiangsu Province [35]
2022 Boao Youth Leader [15]
2022 Purple Mountain Talent [27]
2022 Zijin Award of Museum Cultural and Creative Design Competition [8]
2022 Nanjing Municipal-Level Museum Education Case [36]
2022-23 Guinness World Records Holder [3]
2023 Cittaslow Goodwill Ambassador [37]
2023 Cittaslow Public Welfare Advocate [31]

Students change

  • Christoph Reinhardt: the great-grandson of German businessman John Rabe, often described as China's Oskar Schindler
  • Stephen Brady: a relative of US doctor Richard Freeman Brady, who helped to set up a protection zone during the Nanjing Massacre in 1937[4]
  • Angelina Reinhardt:[6] the adopted daughter of Christoph Reinhardt[9]
  • Rick Magee:[6] the grandson of US Episcopal priest John Magee, who shot films during the Nanjing Massacre[9]
  • Du Jialei: the award winner in the "2020 Exhibition of Architectural Design in Developing Countries" and the bronze medal winner at the IOIO IX[29][38]
  • The left-behind children at Nanjing Gaochun Xilian Primary School[6]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Origami Artist Remembers Victims with 'Flower of Peace'". China Daily. 2021-12-13.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Ai, Luqi (2018-11-28). "Young Man from Nanjing Shows the Beauty of Paper at Super Brain". Tencent News (in Chinese).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Origami Artist Haozheng Pei Visited MSL". Motion Structure Lab of Tianjin University. 2023-04-03.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Wang, Qian (2021-12-22). "Unfolding Ideas". China Daily.
  5. "130 Million Audiences in 3 Days!". The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders (in Chinese). 2020-04-07.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Ai, Luqi; Gong, Yanmin (2021-04-02). "Fold a Zijin Grass to Pray for Peace on Qingming Eve! JsChina Interviews Origami Designer Pei Haozheng". JsChina (in Chinese).
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Zu, Weiwei (2022-04-15). "'Joust for a Spouse' at Day Day Up — the Romance of Ethnic Minority Marriage Customs". Sina News (in Chinese).
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Jiang, Tiansheng (2022-12-09). "Gen Z Origami Artist Pei Haozheng: Zijin Grass Folded from Paper, Unfolded in People's Heart". Xinhua News (in Chinese).
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 "I Am Waiting for You at the Patriotism Education Base". China Civilization Network (in Chinese). 2019-07-01. Archived from the original on 2022-08-06. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  10. "Gen Z World Champion Came to Xilian with Something to Say". Amity Foundation (in Chinese). 2019-06-06.
  11. Lu, Chang; Peng, Ziyang (2021-05-10). "Zhihu Offline Exhibition 'The Praise of Youth · Centennial of the Original Mind' Featured More Than 70,000 Young Visitors to 'Take Snaps'". Xinhua News (in Chinese).
  12. "Origami Artist Celebrates Flowers in May". China Culture. 2022-04-27.
  13. "Origami Artist Celebrates Flowers in May". China Daily. 2022-04-27.
  14. "Most Origami Flowers Made from a Single Sheet of Paper". Guinness World Records. 2022-09-09.
  15. 15.0 15.1 "The Official List of Boao Youth Leaders in 2022". Boao Youth Development Conference (in Chinese). 2022-12-01.
  16. "Largest Origami Snail". Guinness World Records. 2023-03-11.
  17. Li, Yingxue (2023-06-01). "Origami Snail Leaves Record Trail". China Daily.
  18. Mu, Qingqing (2023-06-01). "BIFT Held Activities Themed on the National Science and Technology Workers Day". Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (in Chinese).
  19. "Welcome to Lenovo to Explore the Journey of Future Technology on Children's Day". Cnhan News (in Chinese). 2023-06-02.
  20. "Youyang Poetry Festival Successfully Held. Why Does Taohuayuan Attract Attention?". China Daily (in Chinese). 2023-07-18.
  21. 21.0 21.1 "Successful End of Power of Youth: Master Pei Won the 'Best Member' Title". Huanqiu News (in Chinese). 2020-03-23.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Yang, Lijia (2022-02-18). "Young Man from Jiading Won Glory for China in the 'Origami Olympics Games'". Youth Daily (in Chinese).
  23. "Zheng Fang". Beijing Jiaotong University (in Chinese). 2022-04-07.
  24. "Super Brain Wraps up Tonight with a Showdown between China and Japan". Netease News (in Chinese). 2018-04-06.
  25. "Forward to the Future: Ding Junhui's Billiards Skills Amaze the Audience". China Central Television (in Chinese). 2018-10-19.
  26. "The Beauty of China 'Unfolded' from Inches of Paper by Pei Haozheng". Xinhua News (in Chinese). 2023-03-22.
  27. 27.0 27.1 Wang, Lu (2023-07-06). "[Character Story] Pei Haozheng's Wisdom Creates the Beauty of Origami". Invest Beijing (in Chinese).
  28. 28.0 28.1 "2019-IPBP-Awards". International Poster Biennale for Peace. 2019-10-30. Archived from the original on 2022-08-06.
  29. 29.0 29.1 Yang, Lijia (2021-06-09). "One Paper Folds the World — Youth Reveals the Centennial Mind". Youth Daily (in Chinese).
  30. Jiang, Tiansheng (2023-01-24). "One-Sheet Rabbit! Gen Z Origami Artist Surprised Netizens with His Work in the Year of the Rabbit". Yangtse Evening Post (in Chinese).
  31. 31.0 31.1 Gao, xuan; Zhang, Hantian (2023-05-14). "Nanjing Gaochun International Cittaslow Welcomes 'World's Largest Origami Snail'". People's Daily (in Chinese).
  32. Zhang, Ru; Qian, Ming; Wu, Congxi; Meng, Bohan (2020-05-06). "To New Generational Striver: Pei Haozheng Shows the Charm of China through Origami". CCTV News (in Chinese).
  33. "Results of 2021 China Outstanding Cultural, Social, and Educational Cases". Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  34. "Results of the First National Cultural and Creative Product Promotion Activity (45. Zijin Grass)". National Cultural Heritage Administration (in Chinese). 2021-05-10.
  35. "4 Education Projects of Municipal Museums Selected as the 2021 Excellent Demonstration Project of Museum Education Cases in Jiangsu Province". Nanjing Municipal People's Government (in Chinese). 2021-04-27.
  36. Li, Ming; Zhang, Ran (2022-05-18). "Cooperation between Museums and Schools! 11 Nanjing Municipal-Level Museum Education Cases Available Online". Red Nanjing (in Chinese).
  37. "World's Largest Origami Snail Has a Home in China Gaochun International Cittaslow". CRI Online (in Chinese). 2023-05-10.
  38. Yang, Lijia (2022-02-19). "10 Minutes on Paper Takes 10 Years of Practice". Youth Daily (in Chinese).

Other websites change