<p class="ql-block">Tired of the average lollipop? </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">When it comes to indulgent foods and foods that are more than worthy of being plastered all over social media, Chinese sugar painting deserves some time in the spotlight. Sugar painting is a traditional Chinese form of folk art. Hot liquid sugar or caramel is used to create two-dimensional figures like small animals. Sugar art is pretty popular with children, but it’s beautiful enough to intrigue just about anyone.<br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Well, let me introduce you to the traditional Chinese form of art known as sugar painting or 糖画!<br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <b>1.The background of sugar paiting</b> The art of sugar painting is said to go back around 400-600 years ago to the time of the Ming dynasty, when sugar figures were made in molds as part of a sacrifice in religious rituals.Sugar tiger, sugar lion or figures of ministers were sacrificed to gods and ancestors in Royal Court in Ming Dynasty. Then the handicraft spread in the folk and evolved into sugar paining gradually.<br><br>In the Qing Dynasty, sugar painting gained more popularity. The molds were also replaced with a small bronze spoon,the now-common small ladle, sometimes bronze or copper. As time passed by, the contemporary form of sugar painting has gradually evolved.<br><br>Overtime, sugar painting techniques and tools improved, bringing many new patterns to the craft, ranging from zodiac animals to cartoon characters. Although the number of sugar painters has decreased, due to its unique charm, a certain number of artists are making sustained efforts to preserve it by offering classes, holding relevant activities such as sugar painting contests.<div><br></div><div>As one symbol of Chinese culture, nowadays, the charming of sugar painting has been gradually getting more and more attention and recognition, so are these artists. </div><div><br></div><div>It has already been listed as Provincial Non-Material Culture Heritage by the Sichuan Government.</div><div><br></div><div>He was also granted as the “Folk arts and crafts Master” by Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society, the “International Folk Arts and Crafts Artists” by Chinese Folk arts and crafts artists committee and the “A level of folk arts and crafts” by the Unite Nations Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Cai Shu, born in a sugar painting aristocratic family in Sichuan province perform sugar painting show in metropolis at home even go abroad such as Japan, Germany, Spanish, Singapore and so on.<br></div> <b>2.Folk story about Sugar Painting</b><br><br>According to the memory of the old artists Shiyun Bai, Yongcheng Li and Deran Fan, in Tang Dynasty, great poet Ziang Chen born in Chengdu preferred to saccharose with another different way from other people. Firstly, he made the saccharose melt, then molded all kinds of patterns of animals and flowers on a smooth and clean table. After the solidification, he ate them while viewing.<br><br><br><br>Some day, Ziang Chen was admiring his own workmanship. The little crown prince saw these animals when passing, so he asked for some. When back to the palace, the sugar was eat up, the little crown prince was crying for more, which bothered the emperor. So Ziang Chen was called up into the palace and performed the handicrafts on the spot.<br><br><br><br>Ziang Cheng shaped the melt saccharose into a copper cash, immediately, the little crown prince got tears away and smiled. The emperor was happy to promote Ziang Chen as You Shiyi (an official name in Tang Dynasty). After Ziang Chen retired, in order to reward the emperor’s patronage, he took somebody as his apprentices to pass on the technique. Spreading from hand to hand, the handicraft of sugar painting was passed down in folk. <b>3.Where can it be found?</b> <p class="ql-block">Sugar Painting (糖画), as its name suggests, is made from sugar. It is reviewed as both sugar and panting to view or eat. It can be seen whenever on temple fair, market fair or in park. Sugar painting is a kind of folk traditional handicrafts, especially prevailing in northern China. <br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Sugar painting can be found in various areas of China, but is typically found around the Sichuan Province.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">In Sichuan Province of southwestern China, it is usual to see some folk artists producing sugar paintings along the streets, in the parks, and around the schools. The artist uses the bronze spoon and shovel as the tool, and the slab of marble as the “paper”. The liquid brown sugar or white sugar is the raw material.<br><br>The artists normally sit before a wooden stand where there is a polished slab of marble in the middle. On the side there is a wooden plate with a revolvable bamboo arrow on it. The plate is painted with various patterns in a circle such as a Chinese dragon, bird, dog, flower basket and so forth. After paying about 1 or 2 yuan, the customer, normally kids, turn the arrow and wait till it stops. The pattern pointed by the arrow is the one the artist is supposed to make with sugar.<br></p> <p class="ql-block">Although sugar painting is not as popular as it once was, the craft has still captured quite an audience, and is gathering support left and right from the public and even the Government, who had sugar painting listed as a Provincial Non-Material Culture Heritage. Hopefully, the art of sugar painting will continue to last for many generations.</p> <b>4.How do the artist make the sugar painting?</b> Painting on a canvas is very different from painting with sugar, so when I first saw sugar painting in action, I was amazed at the precision and detail of each painting. <div><br></div><div>Although there are varying techniques to this craft, most artists use a ladle to drizzle hot sugar onto a flat slab as an outline of a figure. Then, a small spoon is used to drizzle sugar in order to produce intricate patterns such as swirls or zig-zags. A wooden stick is used to hold the figure and a spatula-like tool removes it from the surface, fresh and ready to serve to an enthusiastic child. Just imagine having your very own dragon souvenir made out of sugar!</div> <p class="ql-block">To acquire liquid sugar, the painter has to cook the solid sugar in a pot before painting. The liquid sugar falls down as a thin thread onto the “paper” from the slanting spoon. After a short while, a plane animal is created. Then the painter separates the painting from the marble with a shovel, puts a wooden prod on the painting, and gives it to the kid. In the sunshine, holding the shining sugar painting when walking along the street, the child is proud and happy.<br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">As a unique art for producing artistic pieces entirely composed of sugar, sugar painting is very different from normal painting. First, since the liquid sugar could freeze solid if it cools, the painter has to produce the work very quickly. Second, the painter has to follow some orders of strokes and draw a continuous line into a picture of an animal or other pattern.</p> <p class="ql-block">Hot sugar is drizzled from a small ladle onto a flat surface (usually made of white marble or metal) and the outline of the figure is drawn with a relatively thick stream of sugar. After the main outline is drawn, thinner supporting strands of sugar are placed to support the outline and fill in the figure of the body in a combination of swirls, zig-zags or other patterns. The whole design is supported by a wooden stick.</p> <p class="ql-block">Customers traditionally spin an arrow on a wheel, which lands on a certain figure inspired by nature or wildlife in forms like a dragon, fish, monkey, dog, bird or flower basket. This ancient Sichuan art form might not be as common as it once was, but it still has the power to mesmerize tourists who stumble upon talented street artists that make these amazing creations.</p> <p class="ql-block">The sculptures of character and animal such as dragon, fish, bird, butterfly, Zhang Fei (a figure from the novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and so on engross children’s imagination mostly even though there are other subjects adopted from fiction and operas.</p> <p class="ql-block"><b>5.Making sugar painting on our own</b></p><p class="ql-block">M: Baby, sugar painting is a kind of Chinese traditional folk art.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: I know that you like eating something sweet.Maybe You are a little tired of lollipop and candies. Every time when we go out to play, when you see some artists making sugar painting, you always ask mummy or daddy to buy one for you.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: I have bought a set of sugar-painting tools from internet. We can make sugar paintings by ourselves. Are you happy?</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">B: I'm so happy. I can't wait to do it now.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: First, let's open the box and have a look what we need.</p> <p class="ql-block">M: This is the pen and this is the adapter. Here are some malt sugar sticks and easy drawings.</p><p class="ql-block">B: Mommy, what's this?</p><p class="ql-block">M: This is the silicon pad on which we can draw the sugar painting. That is the penholder and we can put the pen on it.</p> <p class="ql-block">B: I want to draw a sugar painting, What should I do?</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: First,you should choose a printed picture and put it on the table. You can put the silicon PAD on it. if you would like to draw a painting that you imagine, You can put the PAD on the table directly.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">B: I want to make a dog.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: Okay, now open the lid of the pen and put two sugar sticks in the pen tube .</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: Baby the sugar sticks we put into the pen tube are solid, How can we make them into liquid sugar?</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">B: You can heat it</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: Um, yes, clever. Now I will plug the pen into the outlet. We should wait for about five minutes.</p> <p class="ql-block">5 Minutes passed.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: Now we can get started. </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M:Pull out the front plug. Look, the sugar has become into liquid sugar and it's drizzling. </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M:Move your hands quickly to make the hot sugar fall down as the outline of the dog. Make sure to draw the continuous line.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: Put a wooden stick on it so that you can hold it.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: You can also draw some thinner lines inside the outline. After Finishing, don't forget to put the front plug back.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">B:Finnished.</p> <p class="ql-block">M: Now let's remove it from the PAD.You must be careful, don't break it. It's done . It's time to enjoy your sweet sugar painting.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: How does it taste?</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">B: It is sweet, I love it.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">M: Don't forget to share it with me. you should remember that" sharing is caring".</p>