Famous Sugar Painting Artists in History

2012-04-30 19:02 History of Sugar Painting The art of sugar painting, though loved by the common people, was rarely written about in the old society, and neither the official history nor the private notes gave it a proper place.

The only official records seen so far are very late.

In the first year of the Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty (1909) published in the "Chengdu Overview" in the "Chengdu folk customs first month", said: "New Year's Day, the market stops trading ...... only small business, specializing in the sale of small children's money, such as ...... sugar cakes (i.e. sugar painting ---- citation needed)", with a woodcut artist line art picture.

This information is very valuable, but to go can not be based on this glimpse into the historical origins of sugar painting.

About the origin of sugar painting, mostly from the legend.

During the interview, many artists told a very interesting story.

It is said that "pouring sugar cookies" began with Chen Zi'ang in the Tang Dynasty.

It's amazing that this little folk craft is related to the revolutionary poet who started the poetry of the Tang Dynasty.

Chen Zi'ang (661-702), the word Boyu, Zizhou Shehong (present-day Shehong County, Sichuan Province) people in the Tang Dynasty.

Legend has it that Chen Zi'ang enjoyed eating yellow sugar (cane sugar) when he was in his hometown.

But the way he ate it was different.

First of all, the sugar is dissolved, clean and smooth desktop cast into a variety of small animals and a variety of floral patterns.

To solidify and hold in the hand, one side to enjoy the other side to eat, I feel very interesting.

Later, Chen Zi'ang traveled to the capital Chang'an to study and seek officialdom, because the first to the capital Chang'an to study and seek officialdom, because the first to the capital of the people and the land of the two students, only as a minor official.

When he had nothing to do, he used the yellow sugar brought from his hometown to make it in order to spend his leisure time.

One day, Chen Zi'ang was enjoying his "works".

Who knows the palace eunuch with the little prince passed by, the little prince saw the little animal in the hands of Chen Zi'ang, will be noisy to.

The eunuch asked for these little animals are made of sugar, then asked for a few to the Prince, happy to go back to the palace.

Who knows back to the palace after the little Prince will be finished eating sugar, crying and noisy, which does not alarm the emperor, the eunuch had to go up to the truth.

The emperor listened to the original story, immediately declared Chen Zi'ang into the palace, and asked him to perform on the spot.

Chen Zi'ang will bring to the yellow sugar melting, in the clean spring on the pour a coin, with a bamboo chopsticks to stick to the hands of the young prince, the young prince immediately broke into laughter.

The emperor was happy to say "sugar cookies" two words, which is "sugar cookies" the origin of the name.

From this Chen Zi'ang was promoted to the right pickup.

Later, Chen Zi'ang returned to his hometown, and in honor of the emperor's kindness, and because of the boredom of living in idleness, he took a few disciples to teach this skill.

These disciples in turn passed it on to their disciples and spread it in all directions.

Some of them simply take this as their business, and traveled around the countryside to make sugar cookies.

The sugar cookie business is small, but because it was once the emperor's appreciation, so the business is very prosperous, more and more people learn, and from generation to generation, this skill has been passed down (the storyteller is the old sugar painting artist Fan Deran, etc.).

Another legend says: the Tang Dynasty, a scholar to the Beijing examination, unfortunately failed, there is no way back to his hometown.

He traveled in despair and thought hard about how to make a living.

One day, suddenly saw the melted yellow sugar, suddenly triggered the inspiration, so they used the yellow sugar for calligraphy and painting sales.

I didn't expect it to be a sensation in the capital, people feel strange, so they scrambled to buy it, and the scholar made a fortune.

People marveled: "Sugar to win the hearts of people, yellow sugar wins gold".

That is why in the traditional sugar paintings, there is a hyphenated "gold ten thousand taels" stylized in four characters (narrated by Xu Shuhua, Du Maosheng, etc.).

Although the above legend is very interesting, as a collection of folk tales is not bad, but after all, can not be used as a basis for studying the history of sugar painting.

But it is the old generation of artists to survive and pull a "banner" to raise the value of this process.

This situation was prevalent in our feudal society in the handicraft industry.

China's "handicraft makers have their revered masters, and they have their secret methods that have been passed down from generation to generation." (Li Yenong, "Chinese slavery and feudalism guilds")

Sugar painting began in the Tang Dynasty, although it is the legend of the artists, but there is still a bit of a shadow.

This is because the 'sand sugar' production process in the Tang Dynasty appeared in Sichuan Suizhou (now Suining City, Sichuan Province), which in the history of China's sugar cane sugar production is a major step forward, not for the production of sugar paintings laid the material foundation.

The Qing dynasty Liang Shao Wang (word Jinzhu) compiled by the "two general autumn rain an essay" Volume V, "local customs and localities" said: "the name of the sugar frosting, before the Tang nothing to see.

Ancient people only syrup, is fried rice music and become a person ....... To Tang Taizong sent an envoy to the country of Magadha (now India and China) to take the boiling sugar law, recruit Yangzhou to take cane sugar for pan, such as its agent, color and taste more western region far WNC, but only the technology of this sand sugar." Sung Lu You in the "Lao Xuean notes" Volume VI, said more clearly: "I heard people Maode said: 'sugar China has no, Tang Taizong when the foreign tribute to, asked its envoys: what is this: the cloud to sugar cane juice to fry 'with its method of decoction with the foreigners and so on, since then, China Fang has sugar. "

In the Tang Dynasty, Sichuan sand sugar is very famous, mainly produced in Yizhou (now Chengdu), Shuzhou (now Chongqing County), Zizhou (now Santai County), Suizhou (now Suining City), are tributary things.

Sugar painting artists used to use Huai sugar and Kan sugar as raw materials.

Huai sugar, refers to the Tuojiang River Basin to Jintang County, Chengdu City, Huaikou as the distribution center of the sand sugar; Can sugar is produced in various places, to the harvested after the frost of sugar cane juice, the hardness of its higher, so the name.

As for the legend about Chen Zi'ang, about a Zizhou sugar, and as a tribute.

Chen Zi'ang for the Shehong people, the Tang Dynasty Shehong is under the jurisdiction of Zizhou.

The second is that Chen Zi'ang was once in the capital because of the "broken huqin" and the fame of the incident.

The Tang Dynasty's Li Huanli recorded: "Chen Zi'ang was a native of Shehong, Shu.

Ten years in the capital, unknown.

When the East City, there are selling huqin, the price of millions of dollars, said that there is a noble passes through the eyes, no discernment.

Zi'ang is prominent in the crowd." This matter is quite legendary, so by the sugar painting artists pulled for the grandmaster.

Sugar painting originated in Sichuan, due to the popularity of the people's favorite, it is popularized throughout the country, the more widely spread.

Today, Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Shandong and other places are active in a large number of sugar painting artists.

Sugar painting has taken root in every region, and is influenced by local customs and culture, and has a certain regionality and local characteristics.

The mastery of Sichuan sugar painting, the realism of Tianjin sugar painting, the delicate and clear Henan sugar painting, and the simplicity of Beijing sugar painting can stimulate people's different aesthetic feelings!