Ancient paper toy finds new life

She still writes lesson plans and designs workshop courses. Only now, the subject is paper, color and movement.

At a recent session with nearly 50 fine arts students at Minzu University of China in Beijing, Li found that fanlihua could still speak to a generation with no memory of it.

When she asked how many had seen fanlihua before, only one or two hands went up. When she asked who knew how to play with it, no one raised their hand.

"They were all born after 2000," she said. "But the moment I showed them the transformation, they were completely absorbed."

By the time the students reached the dyeing step, their own artistic training had begun to show. Their color choices were bold and unexpected, Li said, and when the finished pieces opened successfully, they were excited by the toy itself and by the sense that they had made it their own.

Li's fluency in English has also become useful. At Beijing markets — from the Panjiayuan flea market in 2023 to the Longfu Temple area today — foreign visitors often react much like Chinese visitors seeing fanlihua for the first time: "amazing", "incredible", "unbelievable". Many are happy to buy the toy because it is compact, affordable and easy to carry home.

The workshop's Chinese loong design has sparked another kind of conversation. Visitors often ask,"How much is this dragon?"

Li corrects them gently. "This is not a dragon," she said. "This is Chinese loong."

To her, the distinction matters. The Chinese loong is auspicious and protective, different from the fearsome dragon many foreign visitors know from Western stories. When she explains the difference, some visitors lean in and ask more. Some even want to learn the Chinese pronunciation.

Chinese customers, too, sometimes buy several pieces at once, telling Li they plan to take them to family or friends in the United States, Canada or Malaysia. For her, those moments show that fanlihua can travel — not only as a toy, but as a small piece of Chinese culture.

Li has begun translating the play routines into English rhymes.

"Sunshine shines, good luck to you. Swing to the left, all colors show; swing to the right, colors glow," she recited, laughing. She admitted it is still a work in progress.

She is also preparing bilingual product pamphlets and an English-language curriculum. But for Li, the goal is the same in either language.

"People have grown too used to simply buying things," she said. "We have tremendous material abundance now, and mass-produced goods are all very affordable. But the authentic texture of handcrafted work has become incredibly precious today."

That simplicity is part of fanlihua's appeal. To Li, the craft does not need elaborate materials or complicated technology to impress people. Its power comes from the surprise of transformation — and from the warmth carried in something made by hand.

"If we can introduce this uniquely Chinese craft to more foreign friends, I believe they will appreciate the down-to-earth wisdom behind it, just as we do," she said.