Tucked away in corners of Shanghai's longtang (traditional lanes) are a few special tradesmen, skilled artisans whose quaint crafts belong to another era but who have to date survived the modernization of the city. They make popcorn with explosions and create cute animals from sugar.

But there is not much time left to watch these street artists at work. Few apprentices are following in their steps and learning their crafts and they themselves are aging.

Like the man who creates cute delicate animals out of melted sugar. Chen Yushu, 65, came from Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, and is one of the few sugar artists still working in Shanghai. For the past 30 years, he has been wandering around the city, making these tiny sweet works of art, occasionally pausing to make cotton candy as a side bar.

He works with simple equipment - a polished slab of marble, a bronze spoon, a spatula and a briquette-fired stove. But like many other traditional crafts this is gradually disappearing.

"More people look at my work than buy it these days. In the past, there were more sugar artists, but there are not many left. So the younger generation find my work quite astonishing," Chen said.

Every day, wherever he sets up, Chen and his little handcart are surrounded by crowds of children and adults. "The children are curious about sugar art and the grown-ups want to give their memories another taste of the fun they once had," he told the Global Times.

Sugar art

On his handcart Chen has a small board with the Chinese zodiac animals pictured and a spinning arrow which children can flick to choose an animal for him to make.

But he can create any number of animals or designs - he does ask for more money if the designs are complicated.

He uses white and brown sugar which is melted in a pot heated over the little stove on his cart. He takes a spoonful of the mixture and starts to "paint," tilting the spoon slightly so that thin threads drop in precise lines onto the marble turning into a monkey, a flower or whatever has been ordered.

The sugar hardens almost instantly and then he edges the creation off the marble with the spatula and hands it over to a delighted customer.

Chen has been disappointed that some of the people who have learned the art from him care more about making money than the art itself. He has been involved in art since he was a boy and is proud of the skills he has developed.

"I don't want to teach young men who only want to make money and have no basic skills in art."

There was one standout student who studied with Chen for just a few days, but worked extremely hard, drawing and practicing until midnight every day. He mastered the art quickly and went on to start his own business.

It's a rare skill and one that has taken Chen overseas - he has demonstrated his unique art form in recent years in the US, New Zealand and Singapore.

Chen can get through some 1,000 grams of sugar a day, and can earn 5,000 yuan ($812) a month, working from 10 am till 6 pm everyday except during summer and when it rains.

"Usually I make more money during festivals and holidays. Many event organizers know me and tell me if there are fairs or celebrations planned. I sell these sugar animals for 10 yuan at fairs since I have to give 30 to 40 percent of my takings to the organizers. Business is better during festivals," he said.

The Yangzhou native told the Global Times that based on his knowledge, there are only about 20 sugar artists working in Shanghai today.

 

Explosive delights

Visitors to Shanghai can be perplexed and dumbfounded when they come across a traditional Chinese popcorn maker. There's a shout: "Baomihua xianglou! (Watch out, the popcorn will go boom!)" And then a loud explosion, like a bomb going off. It's not a bomb but it's a popcorn maker.

The traditional Chinese popcorn machine achieved international fame in January this year when the popular Discovery Channel show MythBusters tried making popcorn this way, with one of the hosts wearing a bomb disposal suit and the others sheltering behind safety screens when the popcorn exploded. But for years this has delighted children and passersby in Shanghai streets. This way of making popcorn dates back, reportedly, to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Du Yong came from Anhui Province to Shanghai after he graduated and has been making popcorn with his explosive machine for more than a decade, entertaining and feeding people in laneways and streets.

"Very few people are still willing to do this business today. It is dirty and tiring. The business is OK. There are still many customers who enjoy eating this. But most of the people who buy popcorn from me are just remembering how they used to buy popcorn years beforehand," the 32-year-old said. His biggest problem is the chengguan (urban management officials). "They are very annoying."

Du sells his popcorn for 5 yuan a bag, selling an average 30 bags a day to make about 4,500 yuan a month. "Ten years ago business was much better. I used to sell some 50 bags every day."

Chinese popcorn is not only corn - sometimes Du uses rice or makes treats with the traditional Chinese New Year rice cakes. He adds a little sugar and oil to the ingredients, makes sure his wood burner is working properly and waits for the right moment. Some say it's not the taste that makes this popcorn so appealing, but the excitement of the shouts and the smoky explosions. For many in Shanghai this is a chance to relive a childhood adventure.

Du's customers come in all ages, shapes and sizes. Some of his regular customers bring their own corn and rice mixtures to have them popped.

"Ten years ago, I sold my popcorn for 1 yuan a bag. But in those days I could buy 500 grams of good quality rice for 1 yuan. Today the rice that I pay 3 yuan for 500 grams is only of average quality. It makes a big difference to the taste to use quality rice.

"An experienced popcorn maker will make much better-tasting popcorn. The timing and the right temperature matter a great deal. And you should never have a big fire on when you are popping New Year cakes," Du said.

He starts working at 1 pm or 2 pm, and pops corn till 9 pm every day, unless it is raining or in the height of summer. "The chengguan officers patrol the streets more often in the morning, so I don't work in the morning," he explained.