Clay Sculpture
01 · Historical Records
Henanzhang clay sculpture is said to have originated in the early years of the Qing dynasty, when many migrants from elsewhere moved to settle in the area; some farm households, in order to make a living, took up clay sculpture using the local earth.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Through long development, Henanzhang clay sculpture grew from a few initial varieties—figures, Buddhas, and beasts—to several hundred varieties. Some pieces have a whistle fitted inside, turning them into sounding toys; others have a spring and pull-wire installed inside, turning them into moving toys. The main material of Henanzhang clay sculpture is Yellow River silt; completion requires a dozen or so process steps, including pounding the clay, forming the body, drying, pasting on paper, applying powder, coloring, drawing the eyes, and coating with glue. In coloring the pieces, the front is treated in detail, while the back is usually simplified or left unpainted. The colors used are mostly fiery red, peach red, green, yellow, and purple, with ink and gold lines; the brushwork is fluent and the lines concise, emphasizing the beautification and heightening of a warm, exuberant festive atmosphere. Henanzhang clay sculpture is characterized by classic and simple forms, exquisite workmanship, gorgeous colors, striking images, and a strongly decorative quality. Henanzhang clay sculpture has a broad range of subjects and rich content—opera stories, dolls of various kinds, animals, and the like—closely bound up with people's social life. Huimin County lies on the alluvial plain of the lower reaches of the Yellow River; the fine silt soil provides ample and stable raw material for clay sculpture. The workshops of Henanzhang clay sculpture are concentrated in Henanzhang Village on the south bank of the Sha River in Zaohuli Township, about fifteen li southwest of the Huimin county town, locally known as 'Wawazhang' (Doll Zhang). It is said that in the early Qing migrants from elsewhere took up this trade to make a living, at first molding only a few varieties such as figures, Buddhas, and beasts, and later multiplying to several hundred, with subjects including opera stories, dolls of various kinds, and animals. The forms are classic and simple, the workmanship exquisite, the colors gorgeous, the images striking, and the quality strongly decorative; the pieces are at once folk artworks to be appreciated and toys that develop children's intelligence, and the artists also fit springs and pull-wires inside the bodies so that the finished pieces can move.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The main material of Henanzhang clay sculpture is Yellow River silt; completion requires a dozen or so process steps, including pounding the clay, forming the body, drying, pasting on paper, applying powder, coloring, drawing the eyes, and coating with glue.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Huimin clay sculpture generally refers to Henanzhang clay sculpture, locally called 'Wawazhang' (Doll Zhang); it is distributed mainly in Henanzhang Village and the surrounding area, on the south bank of the Sha River in Zaohuli Township, about 15 li southwest of the Huimin county town, Shandong Province.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
It is not only a folk artwork to be appreciated but also a toy that develops children's intelligence; owing to its distinctive aesthetic value and symbolic significance, it is increasingly favored by people.
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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