These Fuwa dough figurines are made by a 13-year-old boy. His name is Lang Jiaziyu, and he comes from a family in Beijing that is famous for making dough figurines.
The boy has produced five Olympic mascots to show his love for the Games.
"Lots of people like Fuwa because they are the symbols for the Beijing Games. I know how to make dough figurines and I want to show my support by making the five Fuwa.
I started to learn making dough figurines when I was 5 years old. My daddy taught me a lot."
Lang Zhichun, father of young Lang, is a member of the China Artists Association and he is the second generation of the Lang family known for its of Dough Figurines.
郎佳子彧的爸爸叫郎志春,是“面人郎”的第二代传人,工艺美术师,现任中国美术家协会会员。
"My son liked watching me making dough figurines when he was young. You know, it was hard for a little kid to focus on something for a long time but he stood there and concentrated on my hands."
“小的时候他的兴趣挺浓厚的,喜欢学。特别小的时候,我做,他就在旁边看,能够一直看好长好长时间。”
Dough Figurines are Chinese traditional art form and is commonly known as sticky rice flour toys.
It is made from flour used for cooking and baking, and the art form is popular. Local Beijingers like to make the Figurines a lot, and they often use them to decorate the home and for kids to play with.
“There are several big names in the circle of dough figurines. My father Lang Shao’an is one of them. He was good at making masks, armored characters and fighting soldiers.”
“The art form has been popular in my family for nearly one century and I started to develop my knowledge of it when I was 12 years old. My brothers and sisters all learnt the skill. I thought my father took it as his responsibility as well to pass on the skills to us. ”
"Iwant to devote my life to this career, to pass on the dough figurine skills to people around me. When I grow up, I hope I can spread this art form to the outside world. People can know that dough figurine is part of the brilliant Chinese tradition and they can know my country better."