Brief introduction of Huishan clay figurine
Wuxi Huishan clay figurine, a specialty of Huishan Ancient Town in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a symbol product of chinese national geography.
Wuxi Huishan clay figurine, located by the Grand Canal in China, has a history of 4 years. Zhang Dai, an essayist at the end of the Ming Dynasty, recorded the sale of clay figurines in shops in the Yugong Valley, Volume 7 of Tao An Meng Yi. During Qing Qianlong's southern tour, Wang Chunlin, a famous artist from Huishan, made several plates of clay children and presented them, which was praised by the Emperor Qianlong (see "Qing Ren Lei Chao").
It can be seen that before the mid-Qing Dynasty, Huishan clay figurines had a fairly high level of skills, and their fame was very high. It is said that in the heyday of Huishan clay figurine, there were more than 4 workshops. Famous artists include Wang Chunlin, Zhou Asheng, Ding Ajin, Chen Xingfang and Wang Xikang.
Every autumn, six or seven hundred cargo ships and thousands of people come from northern Jiangsu to Huishan to purchase clay figurines, and some high-grade clay figurines are transported to distant places as gifts with merchants from all over the world who come to Wuxi to deal in silk and rice noodles. Huishan clay figurines are exported to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and other provinces, and a considerable part of them flow into Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hankou and other big cities.
Technical features
The unique Huishan black clay determines the selection of production process and technical conditions to a certain extent, affects the variety and quality of clay figurines, and affects the formation of styles, which is also one of the basic material conditions for the longevity of Huishan clay figurines.
In the early days, Huishan residents made clay figurines as a family sideline. In the slack season, they used this clay to knead some small animals such as Xiaohua Dong, Xiaoruyi, Xiaoshouxing, XiaoBuddha statue, Luohan, Mudafu and chickens, dogs and geese.
The production method of Huishan clay figurine is that the figure and limbs are all molded by kneading, picking, kneading, printing, patting, cutting, wrapping, pressing, pasting, inlaying, drawing, board, inserting silk, pushing, wiping and pasting, and then the clothes, clothes, hairstyles and headdresses are carved.
above content reference: Baidu encyclopedia-Wuxi Huishan clay figurine