Lian County Dough Modeling Art

Lian County Dough Modeling Art

　　Lian County Dough Modeling Art: Liancheng Town in Lian County is renowned as the hometown of dough modeling art in Shanxi Province and enjoys a certain level of fame nationwide. Local residents create exquisitely crafted and finely made dough offerings, such as poultry and livestock symbolizing the prosperity of the six domestic animals, pine and crane representing longevity, the God of Longevity, and peaches of immortality, as well as motifs symbolizing joy and good fortune like the Ruyi (scepter of fulfillment), harmonious union, carp leaping over the dragon gate, and immediate ennoblement, along with portrayals of historical tales and folklore such as the Journey to the West, the Monkey King conquering demons, Pigsy stealing melons, the Heavenly Match, and the Magpie Bridge Meeting, all offered to this deity revered by the locals.

　　　　Aside from the meticulous processing of raw materials, the techniques involved in kneading, cutting, slicing, rubbing, pinching, pressing, coiling, layering, inlaying, embedding, assembling, impressing patterns, carving floral designs, and color matching are also extremely refined.