Liu Chengyin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Liu Chengyin, Male, Han, from Wuxi, Jiangsu, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Clay Sculpture (Ⅶ-47). The tradition is documented in Wuxi, Jiangsu. Within the regional tradition and school record of Clay Sculpture in Wuxi, Jiangsu: Wuxi hand-pinched clay figures have strict material requirements: the material must be black earth taken from one meter deep in the local paddy fields. Wuxi lies in the southeastern part of Jiangsu Province; a county was established there in 202 BCE, and it was raised to the status of a department (zhou) in 1295. The making of Huishan clay figures in Wuxi began in the late Ming period, as recorded in the 'Gujin Tushu Jicheng' (Complete Collection of Illustrations and Writings from Ancient to Modern Times). Specialized cottage workshops for Huishan clay figures began to appear in the Qing dynasty; several dozen clay-figure shops and more than two hundred workshops opened along the Five-Li Long Street and the Upper and Lower River Ponds, forming the famous 'Clay Figure Street'. At the beginning of the 20th century, Huishan town had no fewer than 120 clay-figure shops, a situation that continued to this day.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Liu Chengyin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Clay Sculpture in Wuxi, Jiangsu. Within the documented technical tradition of Clay Sculpture in Wuxi, Jiangsu: The production and sale of Wuxi clay figures are concentrated around Huishan in Wuxi; hence Wuxi clay figures are also known as 'Huishan clay figures'. Wuxi clay figures fall into two categories: 'coarse goods' (cuhuo) and 'fine goods' (xihuo). The coarse goods mostly take auspicious and festive themes as their content — such as Big A Fu, the silkworm cat, the Old God of Longevity and the fisherman — embodying the folk wishes for good fortune, protection from evil and abundant food and clothing; their forms are bold and simple, their colors bright, their handling free and expressive, and they unite form and spirit. The fine goods are hand-pinched clay figures, drawn mainly from traditional opera characters, myths and legends, and folk customs; their figures are vividly modeled and painted, with exquisite, luminous coloring. The traditional craft is extremely complex, involving such techniques as rolling, kneading, lifting, pinching, stamping, patting, cutting, coloring, pressing, appliquéing, inlaying, scoring, bending, inserting, pushing, wiping, pasting and mounting. As painted sculpture, the coloring technique accounts for a large proportion of the whole production process for a clay figure; hence the saying 'three parts modeling, seven parts coloring'. Wuxi clay sculpture is much loved by people of all circles at home and abroad for its distinctive artistic forms, vivid folk colors and rich Jiangnan local flavor; it is acclaimed as one of the 'Three Treasures of Wuxi', and its 'Hand-Pinched Opera Figures' and 'Big A Fu' are renowned throughout the world, regarded as the folk painted sculpture richest in Oriental color. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Coarse and fine wares": Huishan clay figures divide into coarse auspicious wares such as the Great Afu, and fine hand-pinched figures drawn from opera and legend. "The Great Afu": The best-known coarse type, a plump auspicious figure embodying prayers for good fortune and protection, famous alongside the hand-pinched opera figures. "Hand-pinched opera figures": The fine wares drawn from opera and legend, pinched entirely by hand; Yu Xianglian also restored over four hundred historic pieces to their original look. "Three parts modelling, seven parts painting": In this painted clay tradition colouring outweighs modelling, hence the saying; Wang Nanxian mastered the four-part painting formula.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Liu Chengyin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Clay Sculpture, with Wuxi, Jiangsu as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Clay Sculpture in Wuxi, Jiangsu: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Wuxi, Jiangsu as its declared area, and Wuxi Minjian Art Museum as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Liuchengyin (Wuxi, Jiangsu) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Liuchengyin · China ICH Official Archive