Reinventing the traditional art of dough figurine making

In the traditional Chinese folk art of dough figurine making, skilled artisans transform the raw ingredients of flour and glutinous rice into lifelike figurines. Everything from ancient mythological characters to contemporary cartoon characters is brought to life. Though older generations in Taiwan remember a diverse selection of dough figurines, the art gradually declined for many years, and young people were largely unfamiliar with this quaint part of Taiwanese culture. The question was how to inject the art with a modern twist to ensure it stays alive.

Thankfully, changes in society over time provided an opportunity for this once disappearing art to reinvent itself, and today it is no longer just a folklore technique only appearing at temple ceremonies. Old impressions about dough figurine making are gradually being replaced with new attitudes, ensuring the brilliance and fun of dough figurine making continues to shine.

以下為中文對照

重拾傳統捏麵人 活出全新樣貌

極具有中國民族色彩傳統技藝的捏麵人，在捏麵師傅的巧手下，混合著麵粉及糯米粉的原料，一個個變成栩栩如生的人物，從古代神話故事角色到現在卡通人物，多樣化的呈現，是不少老一輩人們的回憶，但隨著時代轉變，捏麵人逐漸沒落，年輕人更是對這項文化感到陌生，如何將傳統延續傳承下去，成為一項新的課題。

經過社會環境的變化，原本將消逝的捏麵人，透過形式轉變不再只是廟會拜拜才出現的民俗技藝，捏麵人以全新的姿態顛覆世人舊有的印象，繼續對人們展現最閃耀的模樣。

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