Clay figurines are a kind of traditional Chinese folk art that blends sculpting and painting to make various kinds ofclay figurines. This method has been traced back to the Shang Dynasty, dating over 3,500 years ago, when craftsmen used simple, inexpensive materials to make small and delicate clay figurines. Nowadays, this craft has developed into a professional art form that is appreciated by people from all around the world.

Clay Figures by Zhang are perhaps the most well known among the gamut of Clay figurine makers. Zhang’s figures are made of ripe clay, which are pure puddles of water with sand that go through the process of weathering, slurring, and filtrating and evaporation. The side materials include wood, vine, lead, paper, flowers and so on.

After completely drying, the clay figure is put into a stove for heating, with temperatures as high as 700 degrees Celsius or more. After coming out of the stove, the clay figures are polished and painted. The entire process takes about thirty days or so to be completed.