Clay sculpture (Fengxiang clay sculpture)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: clay sculpture (Fengxiang clay sculpture)

Applicant: Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province

Item No.: 346

Project No.: Ⅶ - 47

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Shaanxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province

Protection unit: Fengxiang County Cultural Center

Brief introduction of clay sculpture (Fengxiang clay sculpture)

Applicant: Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province

Fengxiang painted clay sculpture is a kind of folk art in Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province, which is known locally as "clay goods". Fengxiang county is located in the west of Guanzhong Plain. There are clay figurines in the tombs of the spring and Autumn period, the Warring States period, the Han and Tang Dynasties. It can be seen that its clay sculpture technology has a long history. In recent years, Fengxiang painted clay sculptures are mainly distributed in Liuying village of Chengguan town and its surrounding areas. It is said that Liuying army was stationed here in the Ming Dynasty, and later soldiers became local residents. Some of them re mastered the ceramic production techniques before they joined the army. They made clay figurines by using local sticky clay and clay, made models and painted puppets, and then sold them in major temples. Local villagers buy clay sculptures and put them in their homes to pray for their children, protect their students, ward off evil spirits, protect their homes and accept blessings. Liuying village is famous for its clay puppets, which have been handed down from generation to generation. It has become a unique fine folk art in China and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad.

There are three types of painted clay sculptures in Fengxiang: one is clay toys, which are mainly made of animals, and most of them are made of twelve zodiac images; the other is hanging pieces, including facial makeup, tiger's head, ox's head, lion's head, Qilin's son sending, Eight Immortals crossing the sea, etc.; the third is the establishment of human beings, which are mainly human and object statues in folklore and historical stories. There are more than 170 kinds of Fengxiang clay sculptures, including giant crouching tiger and tiger face, as well as small rabbit and lion. Black clay, white powder, leather glue and so on are used in the production. They are characterized by molds, refined and exaggerated shapes, colorful and festive colors, and immature and lovely shapes. They are unique among many folk clay sculptures in China. Before the 1960s, more than 300 farmers in Liuying village and surrounding villages produced clay sculptures. Now only artists such as Hu Shen, Hu Xinmin, Hu Yongxing, Han Suo Cun and Du Yin use their leisure time to create and produce clay sculptures.

Fengxiang clay sculpture has a strong local flavor and high value of folk culture, folk art and aesthetic research, which attracts the attention of relevant experts. However, under the influence of the business environment, Fengxiang clay sculpture artists tend to produce according to the market demand, which makes many traditional products close to extinction, and also makes Fengxiang clay sculpture technology gradually lose its original cultural connotation and constantly mutate.