Maohou is a traditional Beijing art form that ,involves the crafting of miniatures it is a perfect combination of the sentimental and artistic creation.

An old Beijing art form, Maohou sculpture came into being during the Qing dynasty. Legend has it that a Beijing herbal medicine shopkeeper designed a special kind of miniature toys for his son using the two traditional medicine ingredients since he was too poor to buy any toys. These toys were what would become Maohou.

The most common Maohou sculptures feature dancing or posturing monkeys, with Magnolia buds for their bodies, cicada torsos are used for their limbs, and cicada antennae form their tails. In fact, the original medicine shop initially sold the materials needed for making Maohou as houliao (which literally translates as ‘materials for making monkeys’).

Notable artist

Qiu Yisheng is a folk artist whose Maohou sculptures have brought the art recognition and international media attention. His work Temple Fair in Changdian was displayed at the National Museum of China. His latest project focuses on sculptures of Olympic athletes in commemoration of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.