Introduction to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Sugar Blowers

Blowing sugar factory was an industry in old Beijing. It is called "sugar blower" in Beijing dialect, which is one of the folk handicrafts in China. The vendors walked up and down the street with a pole on their shoulders. At one end of the pole is a rectangular cabinet with a shelf. There is a semi-circular wooden cage with an opening and a small charcoal stove under the cabinet. The big spoon on the stove is filled with syrup (obtained by melting maltose).

I remember when I was a child in my hometown in the countryside, whenever there was a stage singing in the village, there was always an old man blowing sugar to set up a stall. Before the play started, the sugar blower's booth was full of people watching, mostly children.

The children's eyes are round and can't tell how much they admire the old man. Whenever a "rooster" or a "pig eight quit" appears in the hands of the elderly like magic, the children will give out a burst of cheerful laughter, and then they will pester the adults at home to buy it.

Historical legend about sugar blower

It is said that the granddaddy of the sugar blower is Liu Bowen. It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang built a "hero pavilion" to burn heroes in order to pass on the throne from generation to generation. Liu Bowen narrowly escaped and was saved by an old man who carried the burden of sugar man. They changed their clothes, and since then, Liu Bowen has remained anonymous, picking sugar people to change rags every day.

In the process of selling sugar, Liu Bowen creatively softened sugar and made all kinds of sugar people, such as chickens and puppies, which were so cute that children rushed to buy them. On the way, many people asked Liu Bowen to teach them to blow sugar, and Liu Bowen taught them one by one. As a result, this craft has been passed down from mouth to mouth, and it is said that it has a history of more than 600 years.