Tianjin clay figurine

Tianjin clay figurine has enjoyed a high reputation during the rein of Emperor Qinglong and Emperor Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty. It was that “Clay Figure Zhang” -- Zhang’s clay figurines, a kind of colorful clay figurine, made clay figurines in Tianjin shined brilliantly and become a miraculous folk art form. Zhang’s colorful clay figurines brought the traditional clay figurine-molding up to the level of medallion, and they formed a unique style, tinged with color and decorated with props.

Zhang Changlin was the founder of the folk art -- Clay Figure Zhang in Tianjin. Born in 1826 and died in 1906, Zhang Changlin was his courtesy name was Mingshan (bright mountain). As a child, he engaged himself in clay figurine-making, along with his father, and gained a consummate skill. When sitting to talk to some face to face, with clay in hands, he would come up with a clay figurine in an instant, even without having a peer at it. Without any slightest error, the figurine so lifelike and visual, that it was identical in every way in expression to the one he was talking. The painted sculptural art of Clay Figurine Zhang employs a wide subject, either reflecting folk custom, stage opera, or directly drawing materials from The Water Margin, A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of Three kingdoms, and other famous works in Chinese classical literature. The sculpture works are not only similar in shape, but also lifelike. Colored concisely and gracefully, the painted sculpture works of Clay Figurine Zhang are made of refined high-quality materials. The clay figurines, having no blowout, enjoy a high reputation in the world for its durability and vividness. Foreigners have purchased works of Clay Figurine Zhang in high price long ago, and put them in museums for appreciation. It has been reckoned as outstanding art-works in all previous expositions. A modern Chinese art gallery in Ashiya Japan set up a special exhibition hall for the painted sculpture of Clay Figurine Zhang, with 58 exhibits. In recent years, Clay Figurine Zhang has also been energetically propelling the close communication of culture and art through the world, and become bridge connecting china and the world.

The painted sculpture art of Clay Figurine Zhang in Tianjin is a pre-eminent school of arts and crafts. This art flower, handed down through several generations, takes root in the traditional soil of ancient clay sculpture art, and become a unique in Tianjin through bold innovation.