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Xiyadie is from Shaanxi Province in Northwest China. He works in papercuts, a laborious art form originating in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is generally practiced by women and was taught to him by his mother. Xiyadie is the first known practitioner of Chinese papercuts to depart from the Chinese folk art context, and the first to use that format to address queer desire. He often uses traditional Chinese symbols and decorative motifs to embellish, as well as obscure, acts of same-sex love. As a father of two children and husband to a woman, Xiyadie uses his artwork to express joy in an aspect of his identity that he has often had to conceal.

The artist adopted the name Xiyadie, meaning Siberian Butterfly, in 2005 after moving to Beijing as a migrant worker and finding acceptance in the burgeoning queer community there. The northern insect’s ability to survive harsh conditions resonated with the artist’s personal experience of discrimination and resilience.