China is home to many varied types of unique and traditional arts and crafts. One in particular is dough figurine making, which first appeared in China three thousand years ago.

 In fact, dough figurines dating back more than one thousand years have even been excavated in Xinjiang, in China's north west.

Dough figurine making

Despite concerns over the demise of traditional art forms in China, there are still dedicated dough figurine artisans working hard to ensure that the tradition survives.

Peng Xiaoping is a dough figurine maker who believes that one of the qualities of Chinese folk arts, which make them appealing to ordinary people, is that they are easy to learn yet difficult to master.

The challenge of dough figurine making has been a part of Peng's life since he began playing with plasticine when he was very young. He's also taught thousands of people and apprentices over the past thirty years, not only how to best utilize their creative skills, but also how to run a successful business.

"As a traditional industry, we not only have to pass on the craftsmanship; we also have to pass on the experience of running a business, the culture of the marketplace and the economy to the next generation. If I only teach them how to make the figurines then my apprentices won't be able to make a living from it and it will not possible to pass it down to another generation."

The passing down of knowledge has been a part of dough figurine making in China for centuries, and was the way artist You Guocheng learnt his craft. He understands that, as in the past, if this ancient art is to survive these skills must continue to be taught and learnt.

"I started to make dough figurines when I was young. I learnt it from my grandfather. Now my son is doing it as well so he is the third generation of my family to make dough figurines. We are both members of the 'Folk Artist Association' and 'Chinese Arts and Crafts Institute."

However, even if young people are interested in continuing the traditions of dough figurine making, you believe some barriers still remain.

"There are young people who love traditional arts who are learning dough figurine making and some of them do it for a living. However, unlike clay sculpture making, there's no official program teaching students about this art in any institute. Also, because of the limitations of the materials, dough figurines cannot easily be modified. For clay sculpture making, you can fix it if you make any mistake, but with the dough you have to do it all over again. Therefore, it is more difficult to learn."

Every dough figurine maker has their own dough formula, with its own characteristics, but the general composition is made from wheat flour and preservatives. In this way dough figurines can be kept for a few decades, or even for a hundred years.

Peng Xiaoping believes that adaptations to teaching the next generation in this technological age might just give the ancient art a new lease of life and inspire new possibilities.

"My daughter is studying animation design in Beijing University of Technology. I have been thinking about the possibility of combining animation and dough figurines. The effect of making a dough figurine cartoons will be much greater than just passing the folk art on to the next generation."

Dough figurine making is included on China's cultural heritage protection list but, as You Guocheng points out, it's important that today's dough figurine makers still bring their own level of enthusiasm to the craft.

"Unlike learning to paint, which you can do via books or by studying in an institute and practicing sketching, dough figurine making requires savvy. Sometimes even if you teach someone intensely for three months there's no guarantee that he or she will able to do it well. However some people can get it the first time they see it. It all depends on your interest, comprehension and level of perseverance. Apart from the techniques passed down by former generations, dough figurine making requires constant thinking and development by the artist himself."

Dough figurine makers in China remain passionate about their craft and the future looks bright as they continue to investigate new ways to harness modern day enthusiasm and incorporate new techniques into their practice.