October 29, 2009
Go On A Beijing City Tour To Discover Unique Hairy Monkeys In The Local Shops
Hairy monkeys are a charming folk art of Beijing. Developed from traditional Chinese herbal medicine, this art is known for its incredibly small size, exquisiteness of details, and a combined sense of real life and whimsical ideas. Made from only two simple types of material - shed cicada skin and dried magnolia bud, it is highly applauded for its special, and sometimes complex designs. An almost lost art 60 years ago, it was revived in the 1970s by a Beijing native called Cao Yijian, an innovative folk artist who has developed this art to a new high level over the last three decades. When in Beijing, go on a Beijing city tour with a Beijing tour guide to discover unique hair monkeys in the amazing local shops.
Hairy monkeys are as bizarre and unique as they are beautiful and delicate on a closer look. Art fans are often amazed by how parts of a cicada’s skin can be perfectly combined with a dried flower bud to create lifelike figures that seems to have a unique spirit of their own.
Though differing in their designs, most works are created based on people in real life. Ever since the beginning, this art was developed with an emphasis on imitating real people and giving them an air of mockery. Monkey bear close resemblance to humans, and hair monkeys are able to make humans look incredibly funny.
Hair monkeys are an invention of the late Qing dynasty. It is said that there was a drug store called “South Qinren Hall” on an old street in Beijing. One day a sales clerk working there was scolded by the shop owner, and felt very angry. That night, when fiddling around with some herbal medicine, the clerk made a surprising discovery: parts of cicada’s skin could be mixed with magnolia buds to create vivid monkey-like figures. So he made a funny-looking figure to make fun of the shop owner. The shop owner discovered this, and instead of feeling angry, he was amazed by how special it was, and decided to start selling such monkeys in his shop. Later he earned quite a lot of money from selling these new artwork.
According to Cao Yijian, the Beijing folk artist who re-invented hairy monkey after decades of disappearance, the key to making an excellent work is being creative. In the last 30 years after reviving this art, Cao has created a great number of exquisite monkeys that are not only creative, but also reminiscent of the old Beijing and its old way of life so famous many years ago.
There are a few fantastic shops in Beijing that offer unique hairy monkeys made by the great local folk artists. To find these shops and buy some excellent items for yourself, you need a personal shopping assistant who specializes in Beijing’s local business.
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