Crafting a world at his fingertips

The renowned Chinese writer Xie Wanying, or Bingxin (1900-1999), once wrote in one of her articles about the realism and intricacy of the works created by Lang Shao'an. She vividly described the miniature scale of these creations: "A thumb-sized kite, a soybean-sized Peking Opera mask, a mung bean-sized bell, a small white duck the size of half a grain of rice, and a candy ball the size of a millet… I really don't know how he was able to mold these tiny and adorable figurines."

The artwork of Lang Shao'an has also been displayed at several diplomatic gatherings. "In 1956, my grandfather traveled to the UK to participate in an exhibition as a representative of China. People were astounded by the (dough figurine-making) technique," said Lang Jiaziyu, explaining that his grandfather's era marks the time when the craft of Dough Figurine Lang began to be showcased on a global platform. "It was very well received and attracted a lot of foreign media coverage," he said.

Lang Jiaziyu's father, Lang Zhichun, and his aunt, Lang Zhili, were both accomplished masters of the craft. Through the efforts of the second generation of inheritors, Dough Figurine Lang was inscribed on China's second national list of intangible cultural heritage.