Five-Zhai Fish-Shaped Dough

Five-Zhai Fish-Shaped Dough

　　Fish-Shaped Dough from Five-Zhai

　　Making fish-shaped dough means kneading flour into the shape of a fish, steaming it in a bamboo steamer, cooling it, then coloring, painting, and adding details like lines and eyes. The resulting artfully processed dough is naturally bright in color and strikingly lifelike. After coloring and processing, when dried with a low flame, the fish-shaped dough can be collected as a craft. These crafted dough fish can be given to relatives and friends, taken on family trips as dry food, or used for various other purposes—but they have become a type of craft item.

　　In the past, making fish-shaped dough in Five-Zhai County was traditionally done only on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Legend has it that during the Yuan Dynasty, to resist the brutal rule of the Yuan rulers, locals spontaneously made fish-shaped dough to pass secret messages. They used the delivery of these dough fish to organize an uprising on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to complete the mission of "killing the Tartars." To this day, a local folk saying still circulates: “Send fish-shaped dough on the 15th of July, kill the Tartars on the 15th of August.” This tradition of making fish-shaped dough has since been passed down in Five-Zhai.

　　Nowadays, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month has become an exhibition day for folk dough modeling and sculpting in Five-Zhai County, and a highly distinctive local folk activity. Each year on this date, people in Five-Zhai visit relatives and friends, exchange intricately crafted dough treasures, compete in modeling skills and craftsmanship, and challenge one another’s techniques—all of which have become common customs.

　　Making fish-shaped dough carries auspicious meanings. Five-Zhai County is located on the eastern bank of the Yellow River, and shaping dough into fish symbolizes “a carp jumping over the dragon gate,” turning misfortune into fortune, and achieving success in all endeavors.

　　As time has passed, the activity of making fish-shaped dough has also evolved, incorporating new elements. Nowadays, the 15th of July also celebrates the harvest season, the joy of a bountiful crop, and the tasting of new wheat. In the rural areas of Five-Zhai County, farmers grind premium wheat flour and invite neighbors, skilled daughters, and talented daughters-in-law to their homes to make fish-shaped dough together.

　　Times have changed, and the 15th of July is no longer just about making fish-shaped dough. Today, aside from crafting various types of fish—such as carp, silver carp, crucian carp, and grass carp—people also begin making other types of dough models. These days, the fish-shaped dough varies greatly in size; the largest may use two to three pounds of leavened wheat flour to create a single finished product, while the smallest might be as tiny as a goldfish the size of a pinky finger.

　　Aside from fish-shaped dough, people also craft dough models of fruits, vegetables, flowers, animals, birds, and human figures. Fruit-themed dough includes depictions of watermelon, muskmelon, winter melon, pumpkin, as well as fruits like pears, apples, and hawthorn. Some of these works are given as gifts of fruit to relatives and friends or used as offerings. Others are combined with human-shaped dough models. Examples include “Pigsy Eating Melon,” “Mouse Eating Grapes,” and “Fish Playing with Lotus,” which blend humans with fruits. Flower-themed dough features orchids, plum blossoms, peonies, tree peonies, and roses—either displayed individually or as a set of four matching pieces—for festivals and folk customs. Animal-shaped dough often centers around the twelve zodiac animals, such as tigers, rabbits, oxen, sheep, and horses, depicted lying alone, standing, walking in pairs, or in motion or stillness—each posture unique and charming. Among bird-shaped dough, various avian species can be molded, such as swallows, geese, ducks, and chickens, all shaped vividly and often paired with flowers, plants, and rocks to form small scenes full of character. Human-shaped dough mainly depicts auspicious figures, such as chubby boys, crawling babies, the Old God of Longevity, the big-bellied Laughing Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva. Some also enjoy creating serial stories, such as “The Oath of the Peach Garden,” “Goku Steals Peaches,” or “Romance of the Western Chamber.” These artfully processed dough creations incorporate exaggerated artistic elements, featuring lively and unique designs that offer special charm.

　　In Five-Zhai County, there are certain customs associated with giving fish-shaped dough on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. On this day, people carrying baskets, shoulder poles, ornate boxes, or riding donkeys come and go in all directions, creating an annual rush of dough fish gifting. Even more, nowadays the shapes of dough fish have evolved to include mini motorcycles, cars, elephants, zebras, seals, and many other varieties.