October 4, 2009
Shopping In Beijing: Chinese Dough Figurine
People who are not interested in Chinese folk art will completely change their minds when they see the exquisite Chinese dough figurines. Street vendors selling beautiful dough figurines is a common, interesting sight in many Chinese cities. An ancient art with a history of over 1,300 years, dough figurines are now being made by some of the most briliant artists in China. Find a personal shopping assistant to go on a personal tour in Beijing to buy unique, elegant dough figurines in some of the most special local shops.
Usually made of wheat flour or glutinous rice, Chinese dough figurines are characterized by their incredibly small sizes, lifelike features, and beautiful, vivid expressions. Because of the soft, pliable nature of dough, artists can easily manipulate the details on a work into ideal shapes. Compared to figurines made of hard materials like porcelain or metal, figurines made of dough, with their smooth, warm appearances, are especially good at bringing out the “human” aspect of art.
The origin of Chinese dough figurine is unknown. The earliest works found in archaeoligical site date back to the Tang dynasty, about 1,300 years ago. During the Song dynasty, it became a popular tradition for people to make dough figurines during festivals.
Cultural Note: A legend says Chinese dough figurines were invented by Zhuge Kongming, a famous military leader from the Three Kingdoms period. Zhuge’s army once tried to cross the Lu River to defeat the enemies at the other side, but was stopped by the choppy waters caused by strong wind. One of Zhuge’s advisors recommended the sacrifice of 49 human heads to pay tribute to the god who controled the river, but Zhuge, feeling the loss of life unworthy, used 49 heads made of dough instead. This trick succeeded, and later people began to practiced the tradition of making dough heads.
The status of dough figurines being a folk art was elevated to a formal art during the Ming and Qing dynasty, when serious artists from many places in China specialized in making and selling dough figurines. The most well-known artists from this time include Wang Qingyuan and Guo Xiangyun, whose “Heze” style figurines made their hometown in Shangdong province famous, and “Dough Figurine Zhang”, a Tianjin local whose skills were not passed down.
Traditionally, dough figurines are used by Chinese in four different ways: as decoration, as food, as offering to gods or ancestors, and as gifts for famlily and friends on festivals.
Decoration: Dough figurines make for great decoration. An exquisite dough figurine, though small, won’t easily change shape, fade in color, and can resist decay. Fine works made by excellent artists have gorgeous, unique designs that are highly sought-after by art fans.
Food: In some regions of China, especially Shanxi province, people make auspicious dough figurines to celebrate important events and eat them as food.
Offerings: Some people believe the art of dough figurine developed from the ancient tradtion of using figurines as offerings to gods and ancestors. Many archaeological findings from burials seem to support this assumption. Nowadays this tradition lives on.
Gifts: People in many places of China have an old tradition of giving dough figurines to family members and friends on festivals and important events. Tourists in China are often deeply captivated by the exquisite dough figurines they see in the local shops, and like to buy them to bring home.
There are three major styles of dough figurines produced in different places in China: Heze dough figurine, Xinzhou dough figurines, and Xiangzhou dough figurines.
In Beijing, there are many amazing local shops with dough figurines made by some of the best artists in China. When you go shop for these products, go on a Beijing China tour to find out!
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