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Long-necked Dough Figurines of Shenmu and Fugu Counties in Shaanbei.

Long-necked Dough Figurines of Shenmu and Fugu Counties in Shaanbei.

Long-necked Dough Figurines of Shenmu and Fugu Counties in Shaanbei In the past, it was a land of sparsely populated ravines, plateaus, and grasslands. It was a bitter cold place of poverty and hardship. However, the people here were romantic by nature and loved drinking and singing. Living with the undulating mountains and the dancing Yellow River, their expressions cannot stop at the hard life. Under their expressive faces there is an irrepressible passion for creation. In the process of experiencing the many symbolic meanings given by time and space here, the long-necked people are actually like their souls, omnipotent and changeable gods and spells. They come from heaven, earth, nature and people.

Previously, the Shenmu and Fugu region was a vast and sparsely populated plateau with incised gullies, hill ridges and grass flat, a hardscrabble and bitterly cold land. However, the local people here are romantic in nature, very fond of drinking and singing. They live together with the undulating mountains and the meandering Yellow River, this has made their representation surpasses all the rigors of life, and hiding under their far-reaching facial expressions is a kind of unbridled creative zeal. After having gone through the various symbolic significances bestowed by the time and space here, the long-necked dough figurines are just like the souls of the local people, they are the almighty, variable deities and charms that come from universal nature and man.

From the decoration of everyone’s body, we can see people’s praise for the land. There are flowers, grass, birds, animals, “red men” and “green women” on them. The color fills this person's body with the infinite vitality of the earth. Once people here have this language that is believed to have magical effects, they will use it to build a peaceful home or to defend the inside and outside of their bodies.

In any case, this kind of dough, which weighs two or three pounds, will eventually fall into the hands of children. This situation is better than any cake with beautiful color, fragrance and unique shape in those hungry years!

We can detect praises of the land from the body ornaments of the dough figurines; the flowers, grasses, birds and animals, the colorful 'red males' as well as the 'green females', all these make the bodies of the figurines full of boundless vitality of the mother earth. Once the local people possess this kind of language which they consider having a magical effect, they will apply it to the construction of a serene homestead or the protection of their bodies internally and externally. In any event, these dough figurines which weigh about two to three pounds will be subsequently ended up in the hands of the children; during those starving years, this would be so much better than any type of aromatic, delicious and well-shaped cakes!

This kind of sacred, heavy dough brings more than just a delicious meal to children. It has an extremely profound impact on the children's mind and body. The seeds of myth are buried in children's bodies. In their future growth, any opportunity will touch their magical germination. And in people's eyes, being eaten by children is like drawing this talisman into their bodies. The subsequent protection is from the inside to the outside, all the time, which makes This spell became extremely effective.

These sacred and heavy dough figurines offer not merely just a sumptuous meal to the children, but also a very far-reaching effect on their minds and bodies. This is just like nothing short of burying a mythical seedling inside the body of a child, during his growth in the days to come, any opportunity will trigger its magical sprouting. Moreover, after the dough figurines have been eaten up by the children, people consider it like a charm has been placed inside the body, the protection is from the inside out at all times, and the charm will become highly efficacious.

Procedures of making dough figurines

Many places have the traditional custom of making noodles. This is obviously a common phenomenon in the development of farming culture. It is especially popular in the Yellow River Basin where noodles are the main food. Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Henan, Ningxia, Shanxi, Shandong and Hebei all have different styles of noodles. In Shaanxi, it is called Mianhua; in northern Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia, it is called "Hanyanyan"; in Shandong, it is called "rabbit" and "faced tiger"; in Shanxi, it is called "Hanren Hanma"; in Hebei, it is called "faced sheep" and "faced tiger". In short, whatever the dough is kneaded into is called "Han Yanyan", and as time passes, it is called "Han Yanyan".

People in Suide, Mizhi and Yan'an in northern Shaanxi do not make dough dolls, because dough sculptures are usually used for eating, and steaming noodles to eat them is inconceivable to them! How can people eat people?

The kneading of dough figurines is a traditional custom of many places. Obviously, this is a common phenomenon that emerges from the development process of farming culture, it is especially popular in the Yellow River basin where the staple food is prepared with wheat flour. There are different types of 'wheaten flowers' in Provinces of Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Henan, Ningxia, Shanxi, Shandong and Hebei. It is called 'mianhua' in Shaanxi, and 'hanyanyan' in the regions of Shaanbei and Inner Mongolia, in Shandong it is called 'rabbit' and 'wheaten tiger', in Shanxi the name is'hanren hanma' and the people in Hebei call it 'wheaten lamb' and 'wheaten tiger'. All in all, whatever shape the dough is kneaded into, it is called as such; but when a name is called for a long period of time, such as 'hanyanyan', then all the kneaded dough will be called 'hanyanyan' irrespective of the actual shapes. However, there are no dough figurines around the regions of Suide, Mizhi and Yanan in Shaanbei; the reason is that dough modeling is meant to be eaten, so the people there feel that steaming and eating dough figurines is inconceivable! How can you eat human beings?

However, Shenmu and Fugu, located in the northeastern corner of northern Shaanxi, have another special emphasis. Noodle makers in Shenmu and Fugu spend most of their time in a state of hunger. People are very eager for noodles and noodles. They don't just want to eat the noodles, but they think noodles are more attractive than mud. Since God no longer set up a rice noodle market in the world, the hard-earned white noodles in northern Shaanxi, where the weather is cold and freezing, cannot be experienced elsewhere. Therefore, the Kneader here is never a birthday cake-style lyrical method, but a narrative process in a magical language.

But the people in the areas of Shenmu and Fugu at the north-eastern part of Shaanbei are particular about it. As the kneading of dough figurines in these two regions are done in an acute hunger state, the people have a very eager feeling towards dough and dough figurines; other than wanting to eat this piece of dough, they also feel that dough is more alluring than mud. Ever since the Providence has spared no more rice and wheat freely on earth, the difficulty of getting wheat flour in the freezing weather of Shaanbei is impossible for people in other areas to understand. So the kneading of dough figurines here is never like the lyrical style of a birthday cake, but rather a narrating process of an amazing language.

English Talent Group