Dough Figurines
01 · Historical Records
It originated in the area around Heze, Shandong Province. In the late Qing dynasty it was brought to Tianjin by its founder, Master Li, and it has a history of more than one hundred years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Tianjin dough modeling is a traditional handicraft in which wheat flour and glutinous rice flour serve as the main ingredients, to which specially developed formulating and moisture-retaining agents are added to prepare a dough for molding artworks. Tianjin dough modeling is distinguished by excellent material qualities, distinctive forms, disciplined technique, fluid lines, lifelike modeling, elegant coloration, and a graceful, lively quality; moreover, its works can be preserved permanently. Its subject matter is wide-ranging, its technique consummate, its content rich, its artistic conception far-reaching, and its cultural depth profound. It is a highly ornamental art form, deeply loved by people of all walks of life. Its production process is elaborate, comprising four stages and twenty-one process steps. First, wheat flour and glutinous rice flour are mixed with the formulating agents and liquid ingredients to form a dough mass; through one steaming and two resting stages the dough is prepared. Afterwards, the form, layout, and colors are determined according to the design sketch. Once the dough has been tinted, the piece is made using specialized dough-modeling tools. First the head, body, garments, sleeves, hands, headdress, and accessories of the figure are modeled; then painted decoration and props are added as needed, and the finished piece is air-dried and boxed. Technically, Tianjin dough modeling centers on 'modeling' (su). Commonly used methods include sculpting, folding, pinch-modeling, relief piecing, and round-sculpture composition. Its works cover a wide range of subjects. Among them, the court-lady (shinü) subject — with its details meticulously rendered — is one that Tianjin dough modeling excels at; its skill in capturing figures' expressions has made such works classic examples of the Tianjin school of dough modeling. In its use of color it has absorbed the coloring techniques of both traditional and modern painting, emphasizing color combination and the harmony and unity of tone, as well as richness and subtle variation of color. Through changes of emphasis and subordination, void and solidity, warmth and coolness, and contrast, the works gain greater artistic expressiveness, forming a distinctive applied technique. Tianjin dough-modeling works emphasize texture, reproducing lifelike, natural effects of different qualities: the softness or roughness of skin, the sheen of headdress ornaments, the hardness and weight of metal, the flowing lightness of silk. The works are thin, translucent, lustrous, and refined — vivid and full of life. Its principal representative works include Wind on the Plateau, Spring River Flower Moon Night, The Past Is Like Smoke, and Jinmen Fagu. Its making technique is unique and its forms beautiful, giving it high artistic and appreciative value. It has gone abroad on many occasions, serving as a calling card for Chinese cultural exchange and playing a positive role in the dissemination of traditional Chinese culture.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Its production process is elaborate, comprising four stages and twenty-one process steps.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The center-of-gravity method is the principal feature that distinguishes it from other schools of dough modeling. Tianjin dough modeling is inseparable from the Haihe culture of Tianjin. It carries the changes of society and the times, reflects the spiritual pursuits of people in different periods, and is a sedimentation of regional aesthetic culture, folk belief, and historical development.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The traditional mode of learning for Tianjin dough modeling has been apprenticeship under a master, with oral teaching that imparts understanding heart to heart; today, classroom instruction has become one of the important means of transmission.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Lang Zhili 03-1268
- Zhao Yanlin 03-1269
- Li Jincheng 03-1270
- Tang Suguo 04-1795
- Chen Sujing 05-2647
- Wang Xijin 05-2648
- Wang Di
- Chen Yu
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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