Sculpture with dough is a folk art known to few countries, if any outside China.

It is interesting to see how a few colored pieces of dough are turned in a matter of minutes into expressive and lively figurines by the trained hands of a folk artist, relying on no model. The figurines are generally about 8 centimeters (3 inches) tall, but recent innovations include figures as tall as 30 centimeters or tiny enough to be displayed in half a walnut shell.

Molding human figures and animals from clay or glutinous rice flour is a popular folk art in both urban and rural areas in China.

Written records on Chinese dough sculptures date back to the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). After several thousand years of inheritance and development, dough sculptures became a part of Chinese culture and folk arts, and also objects for study in history, archeology, folk arts, sculpture and aesthetics. In terms of style, dough sculptures in the Yellow River Valley are simple, crude, unconstrained and profound, while those in the Yangtze River Valley are delicate, exquisite and polished.

Materials and tools used in making dough sculptures mainly include white flour, scissors, a kitchen knife, comb, Chinese dates and Bunge prickly ash. With well-leavened dough, kneaded according to the set pattern, one can produce a vivid dough sculpture.

During the process, there are three tips for making the perfect dough sculpture. First, the honey, lard, powdered sugar and refined powder are made soluble by adding boiling water, then all is mixed in together with the flour. Edible pigments to form pastes of different colors are added during this stage. Second, the pastes are steamed for two to three minutes. Care is taken not to cook them for too long as they can become lusterless. Third, some oil is smeared on the dough sculptures with a brush to make them gleam and more vivid.

Dough sculptures are popular wedding and birthday gifts. They are also considered appropriate for prayer and memorial ceremonies and sacrificial offerings. Farmers place steamed dough sculptures before spirit tablets. Today, dough sculptures often appear among dishes on high-grade banquets to beautify and decorate the dishes, and add foils to the banquet atmosphere.

Shanxi Dough Sculptures

The Shanxi people, famous for their rich variety of dishes made from wheat, aside from making various food with dough, also mold it into various "dough figures" to admire as well as for good luck. They send them to friends as gifts to extend lotions or pay tribute to gods. The dough figures are therefore also called edible artistic works. 

The typical dough sculpture of northern Shanxi Province is the pudgy baby. The dough is fermented and steamed to depict the crawling, running and lovely gestures of the baby. The pudgy baby is usually used for ancestral sacrifice on the 15th day of the seventh Chinese lunar month (usually in August) to pray for a happy family life.

Sometimes the baby is made with several heads on all sides, so that it may look like a baby from any angle. The heads are linked together, since linking together indicates continuity in Chinese philosophy. The multi-faced pudgy baby symbolizes the wish to have many children.

Jinan Dough Sculptures

Jinan is the capital city of Eastern China's Shandong Province. The colorful and delicate Jinan Dough Sculptures rely much on the crafts of the finger.

With the help of a knife, comb, and needle, craftspeople use their fingertips to twiddle, knead, and twine the dough into vivid figures.

Langzhuang Dough Sculptures

In Langzhuang Village in Shandong Province , dough sculptures are usually flat and are displayed on surfaces or hung. They are usually painted with bright colors such as red, yellow, green, and blue, and are decorated with line patterns. 

In Chinese, "Lang" sounds like the word for "wolf." The first Langzhuang dough sculpture appeared to be a tiger, which was created to drive wolves away and guarantee the safety of the villagers. That's why all the dough sculptures in Langzhuang village are called flourmade tiger .

Shanghai Dough Sculptures

Shanghai Dough Sculptures are also a traditional craft with a history of hundreds of years. The most famous dough sculptures are those of a sculptor surnamed Zhao.

Zhao was born into a poor family in Beijing. At the age of 19, he began to make dough figures. Thirteen years later, he was named "King of Dough Sculptures" in Tianjin City. 

In the 1930's, Zhao went to Shanghai where he met local craftsmen and upgraded his skills.

Zhao's sculptures mainly depict legendary figures and characters from traditional Chinese operas. The sculptures are so vivid and lifelike that they are dubbed "3-D paintings and voiceless operas."