Beijing Silk Figurines

As a traditional and unique folk art craft of Beijing, Beijing silk figurine has a long history of more than a thousand years. Beijing silk figurine, “Juan Ren” in Chinese, is a kind of handmade doll made of silk, gauze, damask and so on.
Originated in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), figurines at that time were made of bamboo and covered with paper. Later in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), silk clothing and accessories were added, which basically formed the first model of silk figurine. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), with the popularity of people’s worship of the God and Goddess of Longevity, silk figurines were made into such images and often used as gifts for elderly people to wish them live long and healthy. And high officials and the wealthy started to purchase silk figurines at high prices as art decorations in the home.
Most of characters of Beijing silk figurines come form Chinese folktales and traditional dramas, which are very familiar of the public. From its facial expression, clothing and postures, it is not difficult to tell that the silk figurine is all tinged with the Chinese flavor from head to toe. It takes twelve sophisticated steps to complete a final product, which usually cost artisans up to two months to finish one silk figurine. The whole process includes sculpting, painting, designing clothing, making props and dressing hair, and each step requires extreme patience and skillful techniques.
The face and hands of silk figurines are often made of natural silk, and the other parts are made of fine silk cloth. Artisans use plumbum wire to construct the body, gauze and cotton to make muscles and skins, and special colors and pens to paint facial features. As for eyes and hair which give the figurines lifelike appeal usually take artisans a lot of time to design. Different characters are designed with different facial expressions, hair styles, clothing, postures and so on. In terms of their cloth, they are painted with auspicious patterns and colored with brightness. It is important to represent the character’s personality and ensure the completeness of the art.
As an excellent handmade craft, Beijing silk figurines with various appearances and brilliant colors inherits Chinese national art tradition and contains high appreciation value and collection value. After a thousand years development and innovation, this skill vividly illustrates features and characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, becoming an essential part of Chinese folk art&craft history.