Dough Figurines
01 · Historical Records
The origin of flour flowers is closely related to the traditional dietary and belief customs of the people; Tang-dynasty dough-sculpture remains excavated from the Astana tombs in Turpan, Xinjiang, show that this folk art has a long history of development in China.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Flour flowers, popularly called huamo (flower steamed buns), wowohua, and gaohua, and also known as dough sculpture, are a traditional edible modeling art popular in the northern regions of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, and at the same time a festival-custom art very closely tied to everyday life. In the northern regions, flour-flower modeling has deep roots among the people; at every traditional festival, each household makes flour flowers according to local customs and conventions. These flour-flower products come in a great variety of forms and postures; they serve multiple functions, including offering, display, and food, and can also be given as gifts to relatives and friends, becoming an important medium of social exchange among the people. The differing local conditions, customs, and ritual emphases of each region have given flour-flower art rich expressive forms and distinct regional characteristics; the distinctive shapes and brilliant colors of flour-flower products adorn the cultural space of traditional festivals with singular beauty. The subjects expressed in dough sculpture are extremely rich: folk tales and opera figures, as well as birds and beasts, flowers, birds, fish, and insects, the twelve zodiac animals, and more besides. Dingxiang dough sculpture reflects the dietary customs and aesthetic tastes of the local people and overflows with the plain beauty of folk art; thanks to its rich cultural content it has drawn wide attention, and many experts engaged in research on folklore and folk art have conducted comprehensive studies linking Dingxiang dough sculpture with papercutting, embroidery, carving, and other folk arts, seeking therein the origins of Chinese national art and the laws of its emergence and development.
Bold, distilled modelling
Dingxiang dough figures are distilled, bold and mildly exaggerated, with a naive and generous charm.
Cold swallows, dough sheep and the zodiac
Its subjects range from opera figures to the twelve zodiac, and it marks nearly every ritual occasion of the local year.
Studied alongside paper-cutting and embroidery
Scholars study Dingxiang dough figures alongside paper-cutting, embroidery and carving; the craft now faces extinction.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Dingxiang dough sculpture, also called 'Dingxiang flour flowers', is a traditional edible modeling art popular in the Dingxiang County area of Shanxi Province. Its images are modeled in a concise, generalized manner, bold and uninhibited; the exaggerated forms appear plain and honest, giving off a naive and natural charm, and are richly local in character. Dingxiang dough sculpture is closely tied to local seasonal festivals: at Qingming, 'cold swallows' are modeled; at the Zhongyuan (Ghost) Festival, dough sheep are steamed; weddings feature joy buns and pomegranate buns; birthday celebrations feature steamed longevity peaches; and funerals use pig heads, dough sheep, and the like as offerings. Modeling is mostly done with the fingers aided by household implements such as combs, scissors, bamboo skewers, and chopsticks, with importance placed on the directness revealed in every knead and pinch; the dough bodies are coarse yet lively. Dingxiang dough sculpture uses locally refined white flour; when the dough is mixed, unleavened and leavened dough are distinguished according to use. After shaping, the pieces are steamed over a high flame in a basket steamer; once out of the steamer, edible pigments are used to dot the eyes, clothing patterns, and petals, and after drying the pieces can be displayed for a long time.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines · Dough Figurines.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This spontaneous flour-flower modeling activity fully demonstrates the aesthetic ideals and artistic talent of the people, allowing the cultural traditions contained in folk custom to be naturally transmitted and displayed. At present, with changes in social life, Dingxiang dough sculpture has gradually fallen into neglect and faces the danger of the art dying out with its practitioners. If rescue and protection are not undertaken promptly, this precious folk art is in danger of being lost.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zhang Hongxia 05-2649
- Dong Qiaolan 05-2650
- Li Chengxiu 05-2651
- Yuan Jianhua
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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