Guizhou craftsman brings clay whistle alive

Yao Debo, a 34-year-old craftsman, is the first generation of inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage item, clay whistle. Yao fell in love with clay whistle when he first saw it in 2019, and after studying the skill for two months, he began making them.

Tongzi clay whistle is a popular toy in Tongzi county, the northern part of Guizhou province. To make the toy, more than 10 steps, such as choosing and shaping suitable clay, creating the mouth hole and sound hole, baking and painting, are needed. The clay whistle can be as small as around 5 centimeters. When a clay whistle is blown, a joyful sound is heard.

Based on the basic technique of making clay whistle, Yao continued to dig into it and bring forth new ideas. Taking subjects as an example, Yao not only makes traditional figures such as 12 Chinese zodiac signs, but has also expanded to human figures and plants.