Jayson Hui Wai-shun

Dough figurines, an age-old Chinese folk art item, have petered out the streets without a trace, but the appeal of the adorable art form will never fade away.

Google-ing “Dough modeling” in a bid to search for its vestiges in Hong Kong, it seems the most likely place to start with is the Arts Corner organised by the government, which claims to feature traditional art. On the poster, it reads “handicraft stalls includes ... dough modeling” .

The ancient art is not seen in the streets but in several less-prominent classrooms.

Mr Fu Lou Yeung, Executive Director of Wing Lung Art, is one of the few in Hong Kong who passionately teaches the skills of dough modeling.

Pinching portions of white dough, Mr Fu places it on his palm and rubs the lump into long narrow pieces. He kneads the pieces with other prepared coloured dough lumps. Squeezing and moulding the multicoloured dough, Mr Fu’s finger tips swiftly run up and down, left and right. In just less than three minutes, a bright yellow bird with swirling-coloured tail comes out from his palm.

“How did you do that! It’s awesome! ” the students murmur in awe whilst giving the dough modelling virtuoso a round of applause.

Steve, one of the participants who is a form one student at Ning Po College, says he loves kneading clay-like stuff but does not know what Mr Fu uses. Other students say they have never seen any dough figurines sold in the street.

“It [dough sculpturing] has thousand years of history that should not be neglected,” Mr Fu says firmly in strong Fujianese accent.

Ms Chan Lai-wah, Visual Art subject panel head of Ning Po College says, “Students might be interested when they first see it, but with no patience especially in heritage and art but video games.” She laments about the ebbing away of Chinese heritage in Hong Kong.

In the old days, dough figurines were a playful knickknack for kids. The figurines were traditionally characters of Chinese renowned myth. Each of which was attached to a long toothpick, piercing in a box for sale. Ms Chan expressed that she has not seen these for long in recent years.

As dough modeling skills was only passed down from parents to children in the past, only for son but not daughter, not a lot of people had a chance to learn it. “At the age of eight or nine, my dad forced me to learn it. I was spanked countless times,” Mr Fu said, giggling.

He says once he gets his hands on the dough, the satisfaction that comes from the ability to model whatever he wants sparks his mission to propagate the fading folk art, and spread it as far as he can.

People may wonder what so different is dough sculpturing from pottery. Award winning dough modeling artist Ms Catherine Lau, who is now teaching in New York, explains that dough is softer and thus more easily moulded in detail than pottery.

Ms Lau, who is recognised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, goes on to say that students in New York, including children from China Town, are more curious and interested in it than those in Hong Kong. Apart from moulding skills, the key to keeping a dough figurine alive is the secret of manufacturing the dough - that will not crack and get mould grow on it. Basically, flour, glutinous rice as well as ‘secret’ additives need to be boiled and knead.

Apart from moulding skills, the key to keeping a dough figurine alive is the secret of manufacturing the dough-that will not crack and get mould grow on it. Basically, flour, glutinous rice as well as ‘secret’ additives need to be boiled and knead.

Ms Lau has invented her own way to prepare the dough for modeling. Spending six years in tasting dough figurines bought from different great masters in China, she finally came up with an ideal formula of dough constituents.

“If it tastes sweet, I wonder if honey or sugar is added. If it is salty, I will try adding salt to the dough and experiment with it,” Ms Lau says.

The dough figurine artist recalls that years ago he disclosed his secret way of preparing dough to his students. “A student sold the formula to a company and registered it as an intellectual property,” he says.

“The dough I’m giving my students now is already the third improved formula and I’m not planning to disclose it,” he adds. Ms Charlotte Lee, visual arts subject panel of Hong Kong Chinese Women’s Club (HKCWC) Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School said she needs local folk artist to help her out in balancing a curriculum in terms of culture.

“Growing up in a British colony, I haven’t received any Chinese art training for being an art teacher,” she said. “We shouldn’t only be exposed to either Western or Chinese art but a balanced education. It is also a good way to nurture national identity.”

However, both Ms Lau and Mr Fu have a strong feeling that to promote Chinese art in Hong Kong is extremely difficult.

“I have been applying subsidies from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for two years to expand my dough modeling class, but to no avail despite having held the first-ever dough model exhibition in Hong Kong,” Ms Lau says.

Mr Fu also expresses that the government lacks plans and policies to subsidise and revitalise Chinese folk art.

“The government aggregates and distributes a number of artists to different parts of the world to showcase local art, but tourists here complain that they barely see those they have previously seen overseas in Hong Kong.”

Edited by Jenny Chow Ka-yiu