Longde Folk Clay Sculptures

Longde Folk Clay Sculptures

　　Folk clay sculptures can be regarded as a unique highlight of Longde’s traditional folk arts and crafts, with the Yang family from Yangpo Village in Wenbao Township, Longde, known as a “family of sculptors,” being the most representative.

　　　The Yang family’s sculptural art combines clay modeling, painting, wood carving, seal engraving, and pyrography. While inheriting traditional craftsmanship, it also incorporates a strong modern lifestyle aesthetic. Their works cover a wide range of subjects—some depict pastoral scenery and natural landscapes, others portray cultural landmarks and mythical tales, and there are also large-scale clay pieces with modern themes such as *Rural Shehuo Performance Team* and *Chairman Mao Crossing Liupan Mountain*. In addition to practical items like vases, pen holders, smoking sets, and seals, they also create decorative pieces such as figurines, birds and beasts, Buddha screens, and landscape scenes. With their distinctive carving techniques and ingenious designs, these works combine practicality, aesthetic appeal, and collectible value. The family’s creations have represented Ningxia multiple times at national expos and folk culture art exhibitions, earning widespread acclaim from domestic and international buyers.

　　　　Yang Qihan, the fourth-generation inheritor of the Yang family’s clay sculpture tradition, created a wood carving piece titled *Incense Burner*. It was honored as one of the “Top Ten Masterpieces” at the *First National Exhibition of Fine Arts and Works by Renowned Artisans* in 1989, and later won the second prize at the *95 Wanbo Cup National “Artistic Treasures from Artistic Hometowns” Competition*, making it a rare artwork that has received two national-level awards. In March 2007, at the *First National Clay Sculpture Art Festival*, which gathered master sculptors from both China and abroad, four generations of the Yang family won two professional awards—one silver and one bronze. The family’s achievements, along with those of Yang Qihan personally, have been featured in publications such as *China Experts and Talents Database*, *China Family Yearbook*, and the Ministry of Culture research project *Protection and Development of Traditional Cultural and Artistic Resources in the Liupan Mountain Region*.