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Folk artist shares expertise in traditional dough sculpting

Updated: Feb 10,2015 10:54 AM     

Everyone is buzzing about the Spring Festival, which will arrive in less than two weeks. As always, many are gearing up for the year’s biggest celebrations in their own special way. One in particular is a fascinating folk artisan in Shandong’s Zaozhuang City.

Folk artisan Wang Xin is busy sharing her expertise in making traditional dough sculptures. They are local snacks produced for big celebrations such as the upcoming Spring Festival. Making dough sculptures in celebration of the Lunar New Year is a tradition long-cherished by people from Zaozhuang City.

Wang turns flour dough into images of plants, flowers, people and animals. And once formed, the traditional dough sculptures, called “huamo” in Chinese, are painted.

“It’s the Year of the Sheep, so I’ve just made this chubby little sheep. It symbolizes good luck and happiness. My brother and sister were both born in the Year of the Sheep, I will make two more for them,” Wang said.

Wang is an experienced dough sculptor, and she shares her experience and skills with neighbors who are interested in making dough sculptures together.

Written records of Chinese people making dough sculptures date back to the Han dynasty. With more than 2,000 years of history and development, the art of dough sculpting is now an important part of Chinese folk culture. It has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Zaozhuang City.