Details of the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" recreated in chocolate Photo: Screenshot from media reports

Can you believe a giant 7-meter-long "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," an iconic painting from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126), was hand-sculpted out of chocolate? This isn't fantasy — it's the amazing handiwork of Fan Sumu (pseudonym), a 1995-born creator from Northeast China who has no formal art training, domestic news site gmw.cn reported.

Fan recently shared a video online showcasing how she made the classic painting with chocolate, which has garnered 584,000 likes, according to the report.

The piece, made from chocolate, fondant, wafer paper and other edible materials, measures over seven meters in length and 1.22 meters in width. It recreated the scenes from the iconic painting, including 176 houses, 281 trees, over 20 boats, and 816 human figures, gmw.cn reported.

Fan says the project took her more than half a year and cost over 10,000 yuan (approximately $1,400).

Working as a food vlogger and content creator, Fan has never received professional training in crafting architectural replicas with chocolate, nor does she have an art background. She majored in international trade and mastered her skills purely by watching online tutorials and practicing independently, gmw.cn reported.

Fan recalled that she first started recreating fictional delicacies from animations and movies back in 2022, before moving on to reproducing classic works by world-famous pastry masters. 

Currently, Fan focuses on reconstructing famous architecture at home and abroad using chocolate and other dessert materials. She has recreated numerous ancient Chinese buildings with sweet treats and has also reproduced dozens of renowned Chinese and Western paintings with vivid and lifelike details, the report said.

Fan said she finds traditional Chinese architecture deeply captivating, hoping to dig deeper into this field, and help more people learn about China's architectural heritage.


Global Times