On November 3, 2022, the activity of making dough figures and learning sugar painting, one of a series of traditional cultural activities themed "Home in Chengdu," was successfully carried out at Chengdu Sport University. The National Language Service Export Base hosted the activity, which Chengdu Sport University organized. Master Xiong and Master Xie, the inheritors of China's national intangible cultural heritage, shared the stage to show their skills, leaving an unforgettable artistic experience for the international students engaged.

Before the activity, Master Xiong set up some small pre-made dough figurines in advance: they were well-known characters such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Tang Priest, and Guan Gong, as well as the younger generation's favorites like Hello Kitty, Doraemon, and Ultraman. These dough figurines were colorful, vivid, and pleasing. On the other side, Master Xie also used a small pot to boil the syrup for painting. A whiff of mouth-watering malt sweetness floated from the saucepan. With a spoon up and down in his hand, Master Xie created many vivid little dough figures on the marble slab, including horses, magpies, butterflies, giant pandas holding bamboo, and graceful phoenixes.

Later, Xiong began to lead students to experience and learn how to make "dough panda." Each step in creating a "dough panda" entails decades of experience accumulated by the craftsmen. Under the meticulous guidance of Master Xiong, students carefully molded the little dough into fat pandas, tall pandas, and even "rock" pandas with eye patches, which were distinctive and creative.

Sugar painting is a challenge for international students. It seems simple, but the procedure is not. Students should pay attention not only to the height of the spoon they are holding but also to the flow rate and solidification speed of the heated syrup. After learning a few tricks from Master Xie, the students were eager to have a try. But after the operation was down, they discovered that drawing with syrup was challenging. Fortunately, with Xie's patient guidance, students could create their original sugar painting.

The activity was an excellent opportunity for students to learn about traditional skills rooted in folklore, appreciate the profound culture of intangible cultural heritage, and gain a greater appreciation for Chengdu and China. Chengdu Sport University will continue to work together with Lan-Bridge Corporation to organize traditional cultural activities such as "Tea Culture - Tea Making in Song Dynasty," "Baduanjin and Chinese style health preservation," "Grass Rubbing in the Park City," etc. While the activities were held successfully, the interactions between Chinese and Western cultures were also fully strengthened.

Department: International Office

Written by: Zhang Hongmei

Reviewed by: Li Zaihui