Coarse figures and fine works from the Huishan Clay Figure Factory. Photos: Courtesy of Shen Dashou.

By Hu Bei

They have been living in the world for more than 600 years. They are short, never eat or drink and never speak. But they lead a quiet peaceful life at the foot of Huishan Mountain, in the southeastern part of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, reminding people of ancient legends.

They are the clay figurines created by local people. The earliest ancestor of the clay figures is said to have been found in the 14th century, in the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The rulers of the time believed there would be a rebellion around Huishan Mountain, so the military counselor and astrologer, Liu Bowen (1311-1375) ordered local people to use the soil from Huishan Mountain to make clay figurines of soldiers and generals. Liu believed that reshaping the soil this way would imprison the evil spirits but the miniature clay soldiers and generals would be too weak to threaten their rule.

"Those ancient rulers never imagined that because of that clay, a traditional Chinese folk art would be invented and passed down from generation to generation," said Shen Dashou. Shen is the director of the Huishan Clay Figure Factory in Wuxi, and he has been making clay figurines since 1964 when he was a teenager.

"Clay is the basic material," Shen said. "This special dark clay can only be found at the foot of Huishan Mountain, one meter underground in the surrounding rice paddies. The clay is pure, fine and is highly malleable. The layer of clay found in the ground is between 40 and 100 centimeters thick."

Shen said the clay figurines of Huishan can be divided into two types: "coarse figures" and "fine works."

"The coarse figures are children's toys with full, rounded shapes and bright colors, and represent auspicious and celebratory happenings. 'Da Ahfu' is the most famous of the coarse figures. These are shaped like plump baby girls or boys with big smiles, friendly eyes and simple eyebrows. The name 'fu' in Chinese means great happiness and wealth," Shen said.

Coarse figures are made from original molds. "For the fine works the archetype figures are characters from traditional Chinese operas, fairy tales, legends and ancient religious celebrities," he said. "Usually, two or three of the main characters from an opera are created to form a group of figures depicting the story.

Coarse figures and fine works from the Huishan Clay Figure Factory. Photos: Courtesy of Shen Dashou.

"The coarse figures and the fine works are both handmade works of art. From sculpting the clay to painting, they involve various stages including designing, filtering, beating, hand-molding, engraving, priming, coloring and oiling," Shen said.

He told the Global Times that the most vital part of creating a Huishan clay figure is the painting.

"Unlike clay figurines from other parts of China, the painting of the Huishan clay figurines is in an impressionistic style, not realistic. There are eight ways to draw eyebrows."

Shen said that the artists add special details to their figurines using other materials - "The bread is made of wool, the fans are made of wires and slivers of bamboo can become swords."

"One clay figurine will cost between 300 ($45) and 3,000 yuan. The price depends on the complexity, the experience of the craftsman and the detailing," Shen said.

Shen said they also keep pace with the times. The factory did a Fuwa series during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and made a Haibao for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. "If you show us a picture, we can turn that image into a 3-D figurine." 

In Shanghai, if you want to learn about Huishan clay figurines, visit the Hui Shan Xing Gallery on No.1472 Fuxing Road Middle. A video exhibition there explains the history and the craft of the Huishan clay figurine makers.

Global Times