Dough-figurine Making Program
Yi Gu Zhai, located at Lukang Old Street, is Master Chiao-yung Shih’s art studio. Taiwanese is also called the dough figurine “sweet rice puppet”. Long time ago, dough-figurine makers often did business outside of temples. Some people even ate syrup-dipped dough figurines!
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(Figure 1) Jadeite Cabbage, one of the Master Shih’s proud works, looks similar but smaller than the one in the National Palace Museum.
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(Figure 2) Master Shih showed us how to make a dough figurine, He told us to relax our hands and mind while we make dough figurines.
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(Figure 3) Master Shih explained the process while making the dough figurine. Great skill!
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(Figure 4) A rooster-shaped dough is done! While we watched it intently, the cute rooster suddenly tilted his head to one side. It looked so real!。
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(Figure 5) Putting the colored spirals together was so tough. Accidently we made the rooster’s tummy too round. That’s ok! Let’s try again.
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(Figure 6) At the end, we feel so happy when looking at our own works. We made it! Thank Master Shih for being so patient with us; however, he said we were too careful when making dough figurines. He also said we could make a beautiful one if we relaxed.
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(Figure 7) Painting was the last step. It was to make the surface look shining. Master Shih and 10 of us squatted, so the tourists curiously came to watch us. In the picture, we all held our works low so that the paint wouldn’t drip into our hands.
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(Figure 8) Each of us held a rooster-shaped dough figurine and looked very cool! If you also want to make some dough figurines, make a reservation with Master Shih. When you come to Lukang Old Street, you not only see many historic sites but also discover the ancient wisdom and Lukang’s friendliness!
