For hundreds of years, Chinese paper horses have played a vital role in folk life. These are woodblock prints showing gods on colored paper, used in worship at home or burned during ceremonies. This tradition began in the Tang dynasty (618-907). Despite the name, paper horses show many deities, not only horses. One story says that before the Tang dynasty, people offered real horses to gods. Later, they used wooden horses, then pictures on paper. Another idea is that gods often ride mounts, called horses, to reach heaven. Paper horses serve many purposes. They are part of daily ceremonies, from welcoming babies to healing or remembering the dead. People stick them on doors or burn them to send prayers. Special paper horses are made for festivals. “Moonlight horses” appear at the Mid-Autumn Festival. “Stove horses,” linked to the Kitchen God, are used at Lunar New Year. Some paper horses also represent jobs or professions. In Beijing, many small streets called hutongs got their names from shops selling paper horses, since the Chinese for “sesame” sounds like “paper horse.” These shops were common in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912). However, after 1949, burning paper horses was banned as superstitious. This led to many paper horse prints and wooden blocks vanishing. Recently, scholars have gathered the remaining prints to study them. They offer key proof of old Chinese woodblock printing skills. Paper horses also show how cremation and paper gifts shaped funeral customs. Today, making and using paper horses still lives on in Yunnan province, home to many ethnic groups and unique folk beliefs that shape local designs.