The thirteenth class of the Shandong intangible cultural heritage classroom, led by Mu Xujian, Shandong provincial inheritor and master craftsman of ancient Caozhou (Heze) dough figurines, was held on June 3 at the Shandong Provincial Cultural Center in Jinan, the provincial capital.

Caozhou dough figurines are representative of Shandong folk culture. [Photo/sdpcc.cn]

Dough figurines are representative of Shandong folk culture. In the city of Heze, traditionally known as Caozhou, the first dough figurine makers customarily fashioned images of pigs and lambs.

The figurines were used as sacrificial substitutes for slaughtered animals in the worship of spirits of heaven and earth, and were meant to solicit favorable weather for growing crops and protection from the deities.

Later, folk artists mixed vegetable juices into the dough to add color, enabling them to create flowers, birds and other figures -- a custom that has lasted to the present day.

Typical dough figurines have sturdy, simple lines and lively images, suggesting a rusticity that enhances the meaning of local culture. In 2008, the folk craft was listed as one of China's national intangible cultural heritages.

Mu Xujian, a representative heir to Caozhou dough figurines, displays his works. [Photo/sdpcc.cn]

Mu, a representative heir to the craft, had a keen passion for the art of dough sculpting at an early age. Having inherited the skills necessary to produce dough figurines from his forbearers, Mu constantly develops innovations in the tradition to produce works imbued with rich folk culture and embracing diverse themes.