Traditional folk artist crafts sculptures for anti-drugs campaign
Craftsman Hu Xinming’s clay sculptures usually revolve around traditional Chinese cultural themes. But these days, his work has taken a new direction: fighting drug crimes.
Hu, 55, is a national-level inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage -- Fengxiang clay sculpture, a traditional folk art that originated in the county of Fengxiang, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.
Lately, he has created work for police officers: a clay sculpture of an ox trying to pluck poppy flowers from the earth.
The sculpture was made specially for this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which fell on Friday.
The sculpture has been printed on postcards and is being promoted by police to spread anti-drugs awareness in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi.
Fengxiang clay sculpture, better known as “the clay stuff” by locals in the county, originated during the pre-Qin period (pre-221 BC) and thrived in the Ming Dynasty (13681644).
The sculptures are fashioned from the unique earth found in Liuying Village in the county of Fengxiang. Artists like Hu knead the earth, whiten the clay, paint lines and add colours before finishing the sculptures.
“Fengxiang clay sculptures were first used for sacrifices during the period of Duke Xian of Qin, replacing human beings to be sacrificed for deceased royals,” said Hu.
“In the Ming Dynasty, the clay sculptures were no longer the prerogative of the royals and became common possessions.”
The craft was included in a national protection project for intangible cultural heritage in 2006.
Hu started making the clay sculptures as a child in Liuying Village, learning techniques from his parents, who were both masters of the craft, paper-cutting and embroidery.
Currently, hundreds of families in the village make a living by making the sculptures. Every year, countless clay works are exported.
“I feel the responsibility to help pass on the traditional culture,” Hu said.
Recently, he has found a novel way to promote the Fengxiang clay sculptures: by teaming up with police to help their campaign against drug crimes.
Remarkable progress has been achieved in China’s fight against the spread of narcotics.
In the past five years, 638,000 drug crimes have been dealt with, 32,000 drug trafficking gangs have been eliminated, 780,000 suspects have been arrested, and more than 400 tonnes of drugs of various kinds have been seized.
To help with the country’s crackdown on drugs, Hu created the ox sculpture.
On Wednesday, police held an anti-drugs promotional activity in Xi’an, with a set of postcards on display.
The postcards were titled “Fighting drugs and eradicating drugs from the root”, featuring the image of Hu’s clay ox.
Also pictured on the anti-drugs postcards were images of a sitting tiger, a frog and a monkey on a horse, all traditional depictions of Fengxiang clay sculptures.