Chinese handicrafts: dough figurines

Editor's note: Dough figurine molding is a traditional Chinese folk art. It is a kind of small sculpture that uses flour and glutinous rice flour as the main raw materials. Components such as color, paraffin and honey are added and the sculpture undergoes crack control and mildew-proof processing. In the process of molding the dough figurines, craftsmen knead, twine, rub and lift the colored dough, and then use small scissors, bamboo knives and small combs among other tools to cut, carve, draw and mold the small figurines. After decorated with hair and clothes, various artistic images are created, including graceful and elegant beauties, lovely children, historical figures, living creatures and characters. The following pictures tell the story of a dough figurine artist from Shandong Province and his latest works for China’s forthcoming Year of the Monkey.