Flour dough also known, is a simple but artistic production of high folk art. Practice: it with flour, glutinous rice flour as the main raw material, kneading, rubbing, kneading, and smart place with a small bamboo knife, cutting, carving, scratching, and pretty soon, all kinds of images of people or animals they sell is made. Miansu small volume, easy to carry, easy deformation and discoloration, is the gift memorial share.

- Beijing faces of people -

the origin and development of dough

Speaking of the origin of dough, in fact, very common. In many parts of China's ancient folklore festivals do the "cake" made of flour when Yoshinobu, "Chinese Date", "Moon cake", "fish face", "goat face" of customs, as these are typically contains pasta food offerings or ritual blessing sense. These surfaces do "fruit pattern" both delicious and good-looking, it also contains seeking Jina Fu wishes, loved by the people. Slowly it appears a special master dough and shape into various characters with mold or hand, animal placed on the market, Chapman, those colored dough children gradually became enjoy crafts designed for.

Figurines origin of specific age is no longer available research, the earliest extant ancient people face, is unearthed in Turpan Astana area Yeonghwiwon Tang Dynasty four years (653 years) of flour female figurines head, bust and face the male pig figurines. In the Song Dynasty, dough Folk Festival has become very popular custom. Song Meng veterans "Beautiful Dream Tokyo" and reads: "cooking cooked the day before that of the Cold Food, made with indium dates face, delphinium, wicker string, the plug on the lintel, that the son of Yan push" and "oil molasses such as making children smile, that the fruits of tricks. " At that time pasta, the "armor" People, "drama" character, "baby birds", "Chebi shape" and can be described as "Kit Kat one hundred end."

Ming and Qing Dynasties, art dough figurines have become the most important means of livelihood artist has a strong artistic and economic value, become. Xianfeng three years of the Qing Dynasty (1854), Shandong Heze Mu Li Zhuang do clay sculpture of Wang Qingyuan, Guo Xiangyun, who used colored glutinous rice flour dough (locally called "glutinous rice people") sales, very popular. Guangxu years, Tianjin, out of a "face Zhang." His early opera transcriptions, good collation, known as "one hundred sheets", dough figurines of exquisite art, but unfortunately lost their skills in later years.

We are familiar with the modern masters dough to "flour soup" Tang Zibo (1881-1971), "Cao face," Cao policy instrument, "flour Lang" Lang Choain (1910-) the most famous. Tang Zibo people's vivid face, face Cao instrument of policy fine elegance, Lang Choain face a strong sense of people. National Palace Museum is now in possession of some of the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty figurines figures apply instrument played, is from the famous figurines artist Tang Zibo three brothers hand, is still colorful, craft quite mature. There are also "Pink Pan" Pan Shuhua and his son, "Zhao face" broad Ming Zhao et al.

Beijing faces Legend

Beijing people face this craft now spread to three hundred years of the total. It is an official legend Liu Yong in Beijing, but not the old Peking Man, his hometown in Shandong Province, said there is a master of pay, also surnamed Liu in the kitchen. This year, from the home to the relatives, Wang, forty years old, and we call him, since his father after the official in Beijing their home, so the family housekeeper. Most police are brought from his hometown in Shandong. Single Pharaoh, Shandong Heze County, because of a bad year for home, think of Beijing Liu teacher pay, so he came over to the. Liu teacher pay alone, live in the room, Liu Fu, the Pharaoh he defected, also lived in the next house to help do some chores.

Once, Wang help knead bread, doing the doing to the mood, he used to shining Shandong New Year festival, the bread bunched up into a variety of shapes. Say Pharaoh's hand can be really clever, a pimple rubbed his face in his hands squeezed, and some became Bristol, and some have become flowers. He also used a small wooden comb kneaded dough on a press of a challenge, while made a small fish, while they do a butterfly on a steaming pot a little change shape, to one end of the dinner table, attracted Liu Fu the family who look carefully in his hand, repeatedly watching, competing reluctant to eat. Liu Yong also feel quite interesting, I asked who did it, of course, inevitably praise a few.

Liu teacher pay to go back to Pharaoh lay it to say, Pharaoh heard of Liu adults praise him, but to the spirit, to want to show off. He found some river rice, refined rice and steamed, shape into a big girl, little boy, chickens, dogs and other appearance, and got rouge and dye, these gadgets give a little color on that way but more can be seen, Pharaoh asked Liu teacher pay the gadgets distributed to Liu House Neijuan are, which is more aroused praise, Liu yong saw a happy coincidence, his interest has come, let Liu teacher pay to subpoena Pharaoh, to talk with him.