Mount Huishan is a scenic spot by Taihu Lake in Wuxi City,Jiangsu Province.Because of its many springs,Mount Huishan is also known as Mount Huiquan(in Chinese“quan”means“fountain”or“spring”),and boasts more than a dozen scenic areas,including the Second Spring of China and the Nine Peaks of Huishan.Without exception,tourists can see clay figurines in bright colors and lifelike forms;they are called the clay figurines of Huishan.The clay figurines are an indigenous folk art.The raw material comes from the foot of Mount Huishan,where the soil is fine,soft,moist,malleable and suitable for molding.Clay figurines from Huishan have been known since the Qing Dynasty.
According to legend,during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty,to dispel an imminent disorder wrought by local officials and generals Military Counselor Liu Bowen(1311–1375)taught the local people how to make clay figurines of officials and generals in the belief that they would resolve the problem.Judging from this,this famous folk art at least should have a history of more than 600 years.
The clay figurines of Huishan can be divided into“shoddy goods”and“fine works.”They are also called“play things”and“hand-molded operas.”
Most of the shoddy goods consist of toys for children,such as the fat girl,the little girl,cats and tigers.Of the clay figurines of Huishan,toys for
children have the longest history and have been widely sold.These toys are full and round with bright colors and auspicious and celebratory features.The famous“Ahfu,”a sculpture in the shape of a plump baby girl or boy,is the most important representative of the clay sculptures.It is plump with a charmingly naive look:all smiles,benevolent,and auspicious.There is a fairy tale about“Ahfu”in the locality.Long,long ago,wild beasts
were rampant in the Huishan area,eating many children.To rescue the children the Jade Emperor sent two fairies, one in the form
of a baby boy and the other a baby girl,out into the world.They were without equal in strength.As soon as they smiled the beasts of prey would fall into their embrace,only to be eaten by them.Since then,people began to enjoy peace and prosperity.To thank them,local people used the clay of Huishan to mold the images of the babies and enshrined and worshipped them.Because they had brought happiness,the local people gave them the name“Ahfu,”meaning “great happiness.”Since then,the“Ahfu”has become an auspicious mascot that is capable of suppressing disasters and exorcising evil spirits and has been handed down from generation to generation.
The fine works are represented by “hand-made dramatic figurines.”They are the source of the greatest admiration for the clay figurines of Huishan.These figurines are used to depict figures in history. The subjects first came from dramatic roles.Very often two or three principals in a play would form a group of clay figurines to depict the main plot of a play.Later,local artists broke away from the practice that used hand-made dramatic figurines for only dramatic stages,and added figures of fairy tales,legendary stories,historical and religious figures and folklore.
Whether they are“shoddy goods”or“fine works”,the clay figurines of Huishan are all artworks of clay,which combine clay sculpture with colored drawings.More than a dozen processes are involved in making clay figurines of Huishan,including filtering,beating,designing,hand-molding,molding,engraved molding,repairing,priming,coloring and oiling.Clay toys are mostly made with molds.First,the craftsman makes a prototype to make a mold,which is then used to press out clay bases.They are then brushed with a writing brush dipped in water or rubbed with a wet cloth to make the bases smooth and neat.After being air-dried,the clay bases are colored and painted(some bases are baked in fire to increase their hardness).Molds are not allowed in making“hand-made dramatic figurines,”which must be hand-molded by accomplished artists.
Decorating clay figurines with colored drawings is an important part in their production.A saying goes that a good clay figurine depends 30 percent on molding and 70 percent on its colored drawings.Frequently used colors include cyanine,mineral green,ocher,dark green,ultramarine,scarlet,yellow and a little gold.After painting with colors,black ink is necessary to define and draw facial lines and hair.The details of clay figurines are made with delineation.For instance,there are eight different ways for drawing the eyebrows,namely willow leaf eyebrows,eyebrows like horizontal silkworms,scattered eyebrows, splayed eyebrows, sword-like eyebrows and so on.
Because“there are accomplished teachers in every generation,each with his special heritage,”the exquisite art of clay figurine-making has been handed down for over 600 years.The process is also fascinating to observe.Black clay is made into vivid clay bases of human figures with hand rubbing,pushing,pinching,turning,cutting and poking.Then,after extending,coating,drawing,dotting and brushing the grey bases,and in no time all kinds of classic theatrical scenes can be strikingly portrayed.
The clay figurines of Huishan are lifelike.They are capable of representing the spiritual outlook of the centuries-old folk arts in east China.A visit to the“clay figurines street”of Huishan is definitely worthwhile.
In southeast Fujian Province Quanzhou faces Taiwan Island across the Taiwan Strait.Quanzhou is a city with exquisite scenebeautiful mountainsriversnumerous tourist resorts