国内英语资讯:Across China: Folk artist makes dough figurines to celebrate Year of the Rat_时事

国内英语资讯:Across China: Folk artist makes dough figurines to celebrate Year of the Rat

TIANJIN, Jan. 25 -- Wang Di pulled off a thumb-sized piece of white dough, sprinkled a little bit of black-colored pigment into it and kneaded it into the shape of rat's head.

"I will imagine the happy and joyful expression of the rat in my mind, and depict it on the dough until I am satisfied," Wang said.

Born in 1948 in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Wang is an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of dough figurine making.

Making dough figurines for 40 years, she has created her third set of work related to the Year of the Rat.

Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, falls on Jan. 25 this year. The lunar calendar has a 12-year cycle, with each year assigned an animal symbol: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Rat is the first among the 12 animals of the ancient Chinese zodiac. In Chinese culture, they are a symbol of intelligence, fertility, affluence and agility.

"I changed the abominable image of rats to positive, optimistic and leisurely ones," she said.

Before making a dough figurine, she needs to prepare a certain percentage of wheat flour, glutinous rice flour, vaseline and preservatives and mix them together in a container, slowly add some water and then steam the dough for about 20 to 25 minutes. The dough would be elastic after cooling down.

The process of making dough figurines is not difficult, but to convey the sense of jubilation and vitality from figurines' expressions takes effort, according to Wang.