Exhibiting craftsmanship inherited from his father, Chef Li Yunfeng of China World Hotel's pastry team has lately started to do live demonstrations of Chinese dough figure making at the hotel's Scene a Cafe.
Chef Li Yunfeng is making dough figure in this picture. [Photo: by courtesy of China World Hotel]
Exhibiting craftsmanship inherited from his father, Chef Li Yunfeng of China World Hotel's pastry team has lately started to do live demonstrations of Chinese dough figure making at the hotel's Scene a Cafe. The Monkey King, Hello Kitty, Goddess Guanyin, Doraemon and a line of famous fairytale and other mythical characters beloved of children in China and the world over -- made from coloured dough-populate the entrance of the restaurant, awaiting to be taken home.
By mixing colours into the dough and creating sculptures, a dough figure artist is able to create miniature pieces of art which can be collected and admired. The craft of dough figure art-making belongs to a long tradition of Chinese folk art that can be traced back to Tang Dynasty. While they were first made for banquets and large gatherings, nowadays Chinese dough figures are increasingly becoming popular as individual collectibles.
Chef Li usually creates a dough figure character within 40 minutes. According to him, the dough sculpture can maintain its shape and colour for as long as two to three years, if carefully preserved. The Chinese mythical figures of Lord Guan, Goddess Guanyin and the Chinese gods of Fortune, Wealth and Longevity are among the most popular ones ordered by his guests.
Now entering the tenth year of his dough figure craftsmanship, Chef Li said: "Dough figure art-making is a great Chinese cultural heritage. To prevent this ancient tradition from being lost, we are obliged to introduce it to more and more people throughout the world."
Chef Li's live demonstration of Chinese dough art-making is available from 10 am to 7 pm daily at Scene a Caf??, China World Hotel. Chef Li's dough art miniature sculptures are also available on sale at Scene a Cafe, ranging in price from RMB60 to RMB88, depending on the character and the size. For Scene a Caf?? reservations or orders of Chef Li's dough art figures, please call Scene a Caf?? at (86 10) 6505 2266 ext. 35.
