Graduate crafts dough figurines of outstanding figures from Peking University

A 2021 graduate of Peking University has crafted vivid dough figurines of six distinguished alumni, faculty and administrator of the university, including Chinese philosopher Cai Yuanpei, poet Zhu Ziqing, composer Xian Xinghai, nuclear physicist Deng Jiaxian, chemist Tu Youyou, and respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan, in a bid to send a salute to these outstanding people.

Lang Jiaziyu learns to make a dough figurine under the guidance of his father in his childhood. (File photo provided by Peking University)

Lang Jiaziyu, the graduate who is also a third-generation inheritor of the craft in his family, believes that by recreating figurines in the image of these outstanding alumni, he can help people to know more about their achievements.

Photo shows a dough figurine on the theme of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic as crafted by Lang Jiaziyu. (Photo courtesy of Peking University)

Lang Jiaziyu started to learn the craft from his father at the age of five, and was admitted based on his exceptional abilities to the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association as an associate member when he was only 16. Dough figurine making has been classified as a national intangible cultural heritage item.

Lang Jiaziyu creates dough figurines. (Photo/WeChat account of Peking University)

The man started paying attention to the inheritance of dough figurine making during graduate school, having tried a variety of ways to promote the craft, including holding online video tutorials and offline activities, so that more people could know about dough figurine making and experience the craft for themselves.

A dough figurine by Lang Jiaziyu. (Photo/WeChat account of Peking University)

“I understand that I might not be able to revive the craft, but I still want to do as much as I can to make it accepted and liked by more people. I think I can do it,” he said, adding that he plans to create dough figurines of people engaged in new professions, such as deliverymen and live-streaming hosts, to record the characteristics of the times.

A dough figurine by Lang Jiaziyu. (Photo/WeChat account of Peking University)

A dough figurine by Lang Jiaziyu. (Photo/WeChat account of Peking University)

A dough figurine by Lang Jiaziyu. (Photo/WeChat account of Peking University)

A dough figurine by Lang Jiaziyu. (Photo/WeChat account of Peking University)