Clay Sculpture
01 · Historical Records
Yutian clay sculpture took shape during the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty and has a history of more than one hundred years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Yutian County takes its name from the legend that the ancients planted jade there. It lies in the east of Hebei Province, on the southern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains, midway between Beijing, Tianjin, and Tangshan. Taking historical figures, mythological tales, and pastoral animals as its subjects, Yutian clay sculpture molds images from clay; once painted, the pieces become clay xun (small ocarina-like vessels) for children to play with. The forms are generally ellipsoidal, simple and concise—half modeled and half painted, with painting predominant. A reed whistle is set inside; the exterior takes white as its ground, covered with red, yellow, green, black, and other colors. The colors are strong, yet the overall effect is highly harmonious. The production process is orderly, comprising eight process steps: digging the clay and mixing it with water, pinching the clay body, making the clay mold, closing the mold and fitting the whistle, trimming and drying in the sun, laying the white powder ground, mixing the glue, and applying the colors. Representative works of Yutian clay sculpture include 'The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea' and 'The Qilin Bringing a Son'; these works are vivid in image and auspicious in meaning, exuding a rich local flavor. The bodies of Yutian clay pieces are mostly elliptical, simple and concise—half modeled and half painted, with painting predominant—with a reed whistle set inside so that they sound when blown; they are at once objects for display and children's toys. After a white ground is laid, red, yellow, green, black, and other colors are applied; the color contrasts are strong yet the overall effect harmonious, and the subjects are mostly drawn from historical figures, mythological tales, and pastoral animals. The works of the artist Wu Yucheng enjoy a high reputation in the Jingdong region (eastern Beijing); he has traveled to France, Japan, and other countries for cultural and artistic exchange, and his 'Riding a Donkey to Mother's Home' and 'Little Lion Rolling an Embroidered Ball' have been included in such collections as the Complete Collection of Chinese Folk Art (Toys Volume), Local Art, and Chinese Folk Toys.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The production process is orderly, comprising eight process steps: digging the clay and mixing it with water, pinching the clay body, making the clay mold, closing the mold and fitting the whistle, trimming and drying in the sun, laying the white powder ground, mixing the glue, and applying the colors.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Yutian clay sculpture has a style all its own, ranking first among the clay sculptures of Hebei and occupying a place of its own in the field of Chinese folk clay sculpture; it is an important object of study for Yanzhao regional culture and the history of folk clay sculpture.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
With social change, clay toys formerly popular in the countryside have been replaced by new products, and the vast transformation of their environment has caused Yutian clay sculpture to decline rapidly and face extinction. Devoting effort to the excavation, rescue, and protection of this important folk art has become a task that brooks no delay. Wu Yucheng (recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in July 1934, from Yutian County, Hebei Province. His clay sculpture focuses on expressing nature and social life; his subjects and patterns are ever fresh, and his forms and coloring are of classic elegance, exuding a rich local flavor. He enjoys a high reputation in the Jingdong region (eastern Beijing). Representative works include 'Riding a Donkey to Mother's Home', 'Little Bird', 'Little Rabbit', and 'Little Lion Rolling an Embroidered Ball'. His works have been exhibited many times and collected at home and abroad, and have been included in such collections as the Complete Collection of Chinese Folk Art (Toys Volume), Local Art, and Chinese Folk Toys. He has traveled to France, Japan, and other countries for cultural and artistic exchange. Representative inheritor of Clay Figurine (Yutian Clay Sculpture), a third-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage item.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Yu Xianglian 01-0108
- Wang Nanxian 01-0109
- Hu Shen 01-0110
- Wang Xuefeng 01-0111
- Wu Yucheng 03-1251
- Wu Guangrang 03-1252
- Xu Xingguo 03-1253
- Yang Qihe 03-1254
- Nie Xiwei 04-1791
- Shuangyan 05-2622
- Zhu Wenqian 05-2623
- Xu Shuzhang 05-2624
- Wu Weiqing 05-2625
- Wang Dengshu 05-2626
- Hu Xinming 05-2627
- Yang Jianian 05-2628
- Liu Chengyin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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