It is a CCIP (www.theccip.com) program tradition to give originally-designed paper cut gifts honoring host organizations and supporters at the annual CCIP Day event. The paper-cut gifts are handmade by a group of selected students, with each year embodying a new theme.

This year's theme is the Year of the Dog, commemorating the CCIP J-1 Internship Program's tenth anniversary with integrated Chinese symbols such as a peach-shaped bun (prosperity and birthdays) and the number 10 (totality). The paper aims to captures the cheer and excitement of the exchange visitors as they gain a new appreciation of different cultures.

Students submitted and contributed designs, but Jonathan Lam's design made the final selection. A student leader from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Jonathan said, "I had never thought of coming up with a sample paper cut as such a tough yet rewarding task.

"Being selected was not easy -- a lot of competitors had good designs to show. I am glad my design was chosen for this year. "

There's more to the paper-cut project than just choosing a design. Execution of the final product is important too. A group of students including Hazell from Nanyang Technological University, Jackson Lai from Open University of Hong Kong, and Charles Lam from City University of Hong Kong will lead the paper cut execution team. Under their supervision, the whole CCIP group will assemble 60 frames presented at the recognition ceremony on July 6.

Jackson Lai said, "It seems simple to put these together, but it isn't as easy as it looks. We have to make sure the left and right sides are equal and that the edge are smooth. After our first day I am glad we've completed 20 percent of the frames. We'll continue to work hard and get all 60 frames done by this week."