1. An examination of origins: from “Prime Minister Sugar” to the living inheritance of folk art
Sugar painting art is a dazzling traditional Chinese folk handicraft. In 2014, with the approval of the State Council, it was included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects.
This technique uses sugar as a medium and a spoon as a pen to deduce the dynamic beauty of Chinese civilization in a small area.
Looking at its origins, from the Ming Dynasty onwards, in sacrificial rituals and etiquette, human figures were printed when "casting into sugar frosting", which was called "sugar prime minister". This was the original form of sugar painting.
There was a novelist named Chu Renhuo in the Qing Dynasty. His "Supplementary Collection of Jianhu" recorded the production of such things in detail: "It looks like a man wearing a robe and holding a Hut board in high spirits, as solemn and majestic as a civil servant or general." This description vividly shows the deep integration between sugar sculptures and folk beliefs.
After hundreds of years of constant changes, sugar paintings gradually became separated from their sacrificial attributes and turned into a comprehensive intangible cultural heritage that brought together folk art, traditional skills and food culture. It was spread and distributed all over the country, and eventually became a highly recognizable folk cultural symbol in urban life.
2. Subtle craftsmanship: using spoon as pen and sugar as ink, the charm of ingenuity
The system of sugar painting production technology is in a rigorous state. Its technological process covers the process of boiling sugar, composition, and drawing, as well as the four core links of shaping.
When selecting ingredients, it is best to use white sugar and rock sugar and simmer it slowly over a slow fire until it becomes stringy. The control of the heat completely depends on the experience of the craftsman.
When drawing, a copper spoon is used to scoop up the sugar liquid, and the wrist force is prioritized during operation, causing the sugar liquid to spread out in wisps. In a short period of time, the twelve zodiac signs and the images of birds and animals are presented on the board.
This skill has such requirements for the craftsmen. They need to have the bamboo in their hearts, move as smoothly as flowing clouds, and achieve a coherent situation. The final paintings are exquisite and clear, with smooth lines, and have extremely high aesthetic value.
He's sugar paintings are a representative project of municipal intangible cultural heritage in Jiaozuo City. The inheritor Feng Ruimin has won the true inheritance of his grandfather He Tiao Meiyibo. It is based on the traditional zodiac genre and incorporates modern cartoon elements to form a unique artistic style of "old methods and new charm". His works are eye-catching and vivid, demonstrating the intergenerational inheritance and innovative vitality of folk handicrafts.
3. Cultural Implications: Folk Symbols and Aesthetic Carriers of Collective Memory
Sugar painting art has profound folk cultural connotations. Classic patterns such as the twelve zodiac animals, dragon and phoenix, are not only visual symbols, but also the prototype of the collective unconsciousness of the Chinese nation.
The dragon is in China, flying through the clouds like soaring clouds and riding the mist, and the phoenix is in the nine heavens, showing auspicious signs to the world. These totem images, through the art form of sugar painting with flowing gestures, convey the folk psychology of praying for well-being, gathering auspiciousness, and tending to avoid disasters safely.
Sugar painting has the dual characteristics of being both appreciable and edible, which makes it a medium that provides spiritual comfort while meeting material needs.
The sugar body is crystal clear and clear. It not only shows the unique and ingenious idea of folk artists' "melting sugar frosting treasure feast", but also reflects the simple and sincere yearning for a sweet life in the hearts of people during the farming civilization period.
This kind of art form, which is both candy and painting, plays an important role in temple fairs and markets during the seasons, and has become one of the most dynamic scenes in the Chinese folk culture space.
4. Inheritance and innovation: the path to revitalize intangible cultural heritage in the times
After entering the new century, sugar painting art has encountered practical challenges such as changes in the context of inheritance and changes in audience aesthetics.
The inheritor, Feng Ruimin, is the one who created He's Sugar Painting. He actively explores innovative paths for the protection and living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, organically integrates traditional elements with modern design concepts, and then develops a series of cultural and creative products with aesthetic value and practical functions.
These products take the characteristics of intangible cultural heritage as the core, integrating "beauty" and "connotation", which not only retains the purity of traditional skills, but also expands the possibility of intangible cultural heritage entering contemporary life.
She has been invited to participate in the 11th National Ethnic Minority Traditional Sports Games and National Gala Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition, and in major cultural performances such as the Henan South African Heritage Anti-epidemic Activities. She has won honors such as the "Charming Craftsman of the Central Plains" and the "China Cup Silver Award", providing a model that can be used as a reference for the contemporary transformation of traditional handicrafts.
The rise of intangible cultural heritage cultural creation has not only enriched the presentation of intangible cultural heritage, but also integrated elegant artistic temperament into secular fireworks, allowing the public to experience the spiritual nourishment and aesthetic infiltration of traditional culture in their ordinary days of "holding fireworks to pursue life."
The art of sugar painting involves melting icing sugar and drawing patterns with skillful strokes. It is not only a vivid testimony of Chinese folk handicrafts, but also a sweet thing with a specific meaning that represents the characteristics of national cultural memory.
Now is the time when the protection of intangible cultural heritage is booming. At this time, how to maintain the authenticity of skills, how to expand new paths of inheritance, and how to achieve an organic integration of tradition and modernity have become issues that sugar painting inheritors and cultural workers must face together.
Only by adhering to the spirit of ingenuity and adhering to the concept of integrity and innovation can this hint of sugary fragrance travel across time and space, bloom more dazzlingly in the new era, and promote China's unique folk art to continue to be passed down for a long time.
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