Mianren (Beijing Mianren Lang)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Mianren (Beijing mianrenlang)

Applicant: Haidian District, Beijing

Project No.: 828

Project No.: Ⅶ - 52

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Beijing

Type: new item

Applicant: Haidian District, Beijing

Protection unit: Beijing Haidian District Cultural Center

Introduction to Mianren (Beijing mianrenlang)

Applicant: Haidian District, Beijing

Dough figurine, also known as "dough figurine" and "jiangmi people", is a traditional plastic art with edible flour and glutinous rice flour as the main raw materials. It is popular all over the country and deeply loved by the people. Most of the dough figurines take animals and characters in myths and legends, historical stories and local operas as their subjects, and their basic shapes are divided into two types: the "signature type" and the "case type". The former is mostly food and play goods for children's entertainment, with simple shape and vivid shape; the latter is elegant display art, with exquisite workmanship and exquisite shape. It also needs to mix additives in the raw materials for anti cracking, anti insect and anti mildew treatment. Generally, dough figurines are made by kneading, rubbing, kneading, lifting and other techniques to shape the general shape. Then, bamboo knives are used to skillfully place, cut, carve, scratch, depict hands, feet, head, face, facial expression and other local details. Finally, hair accessories, dresses and related plug-ins are added to complete the work. The art of dough figurine mainly relies on the improvisation of the artists who walk through the streets. They have mastered the skillful shaping skills. They know the theme, modeling, color matching and other process procedures clearly, and can turn the dough into a high spirited artistic image in an instant. Dough figurine art, which is inherited and developed among the people, reposes the aesthetic feelings and life ideals of the general public, and provides important material materials for the study of Chinese folk history, customs and art.

Beijing dough figurine Lang is a unique folk dough figurine art in Beijing. This art was created by Lang Shaoan (1909-1992). He studied with Zhao Kuoming, the "king of dough figurines", and later formed his own style of dough figurine art. The art of mianrenlang covers a wide range of subjects and focuses on the expression of real life. It vividly reflects the situation of 360 lines and various old Beijing folk customs. In his long-term artistic practice, Lang Shaoan has developed his unique skill of kneading and sculpting, which is "quick in eyes and hands", "accurate in seeing and stable in holding". His works are simple in technique, accurate in modeling, realistic in shape, and refined in decoration. He is unique in Beijing dough sculpture art. In 1957, Zhili, Lang Shaoan's daughter, began to learn dough sculpture with her father. For more than 50 years, she inherited and innovated her father's techniques, and further developed the dough sculpture art of Beijing mianrenlang. At the same time, she also paid attention to summing up her father's artistic experience and published the book "my life in dough sculpture: Lang Shaoan". In recent years, Lang Zhili has established "mianrenlang art studio", which is dedicated to the inheritance, research and development of Beijing dough sculpture art. The dough sculpture works of Beijing mianrenlang not only have strong artistic appreciation and collection value, but also provide an important reference for the study of folk customs and folk handicrafts in old Beijing.