Langzhuang Dough Figurines

Langzhuang Dough Figurines is a traditional folk art crafted from raw flour through a process of kneading, shaping, steaming, drying, and coloring. This craft is uniquely preserved in Langzhuang Village, Guan County, Shandong Province, an area administered by Liaocheng.

Locally, Langzhuang Dough Figurines are commonly known as “Flour Tigers.” According to village Village Monument records, during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the Lang brothers migrated from Shanxi and established the village which named “Langzhuang.” Since the character “Lang” (郎) shares its pronunciation with “wolf” (狼), which was considered inauspicious, skilled villagers began making “flour tigers” to counteract the “wolf” association, praying for safety and protection. Over time, this practice evolved into a means of livelihood for the locals. Through generations of refinement, it developed into a traditional folk art. In the early 1980s, after research and documentation by Mr. Bao Jiahu from the Shandong University of Art & Design, the craft was officially named “Langzhuang Dough Figurines.”

The craft involves over a dozen of intricate steps, including kneading, fermentation, shaping, steaming, drying, and coloring. Today, the figurines cover ten major categories — ranging from birds and beasts to flowers, insects, fish, opera figures, and more — with dozens of varieties. The figurines are characterized by exaggerated forms, bold simplicity, vivid expressions, bright colors, and strong contrast, all hallmarks of the western Shandong folk style.

Langzhuang Dough Figurines have long been valued and highly praised by experts and scholars, earning titles such as “a remarkable gem of Chinese folk craftsmanship” and “a unique treasure of China.” They have received numerous accolades, including the “Tianma Gold Award” at the China Tourism Souvenir Exhibition jointly hosted by the National Tourism Administration, the Ministry of Light Industry, and the Ministry of Commerce; the Gold Award at the Second Shandong Folk Arts and Crafts Expo; and the Gold Award at the 2005 Jiangbei Water City Cultural Tourism Festival Folk Arts Competition. From the late 1980s through the 1990s, many experts and scholars conducted researches and concluded that Langzhuang Dough Figurines possess distinctive ethnic and folk characteristics, representing a unique folk craft with exceptional artistic value.

In 2008, Langzhuang Dough Figurines were inscribed on the second batch of the China National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.