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. According to the Langzhuang village stele, during the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty two brothers surnamed Lang migrated here from Shanxi, founded the village under their surname, and named it 'Langzhuang'.
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. Langzhuang dough sculpture, commonly called 'dough tigers', is a traditional edible modeling art popular in Langzhuang, Guan County, Shandong Province. Later, because the surname 'Lang' was homophonous with 'wolf' and thus implied danger, deft-handed villagers shaped 'dough tigers' to counter the 'wolf' and subdue evil, praying for peace.
The dough tiger
Langzhuang dough figures, called dough tigers, were made to ward off wolves since Lang sounds like the word for wolf.
Painting and tung-oil coating
The figures are steamed, painted while hot and varnished with tung oil for protection.
The village and oral transmission
According to the village stele, the Lang brothers migrated from Shanxi in the Ming Hongwu era and founded the village.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Thereafter the method of shaping tigers to counter wolves was continued as a custom and passed down from generation to generation in Langzhuang; through ongoing development and refinement by later generations, it formed the village's distinctive dough-sculpture art. Langzhuang dough sculpture, commonly called 'dough tigers', is made by fermenting and shaping fine wheat flour mixed with glutinous rice flour; after steaming, colorful patterns are brushed on while the pieces are still hot, and they are then coated with tung oil or varnish to guard against damp and insects, so that they can be preserved for a long time. Besides tigers, subjects include lions, monkeys, fish, frogs, pomegranates, longevity peaches, and opera figures; the images are mostly exaggerated and concise, with large tiger heads and short, stout limbs, revealing an endearingly naive folk appeal. The transmission of Langzhuang dough sculpture is concentrated in the single village of Langzhuang in Guan County, mostly passed down orally and by example within family units; the works serve both as playthings for children and as auspicious objects for praying for blessing and warding off evil at festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Spring Festival. According to the Langzhuang village stele, during the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty two brothers surnamed Lang migrated here from Shanxi and founded the village under their surname, and the custom of shaping tigers to counter wolves has been passed down from generation to generation ever since.
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. Langzhuang dough sculpture exudes a strong rustic character, fully reflecting the characteristics of local folk culture and the aesthetic creativity of the people; it has considerable historical and cultural value and can provide vivid examples for the study of local folk custom and folk art.
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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