Tired of the average lollipop? Well, let me introduce you to the traditional Chinese form of art known as sugar painting or 糖画!
The art of sugar painting is said to go back around 400-600 years ago to the time of the Ming dynasty, where sugar animals or figures were used in religious rituals. Overtime, sugar painting techniques and tools improved, bringing many new patterns to the craft, ranging from zodiac animals to cartoon characters.
Sugar painting can be found in various areas of China, but is typically found around the Sichuan Province of southwestern China along the streets or in the parks. There, you may find an artist at a wooden stand with a large marble or metal slab, a wheel with animal patterns and a pot of melted sugar. Most artists have a wheel for people to spin, which determines which animal he/she will draw based on where the arrow lands.
Painting on a canvas is very different from painting with sugar, so when I first saw sugar painting in action, I was amazed at the precision and detail of each painting. Although there are varying techniques to this craft, most artists use a ladle to drizzle hot sugar onto a flat slab as an outline of a figure. Then, a small spoon is used to drizzle sugar in order to produce intricate patterns such as swirls or zig-zags. A wooden stick is used to hold the figure and a spatula-like tool removes it from the surface, fresh and ready to serve to an enthusiastic child. Just imagine having your very own dragon souvenir made out of sugar!
Although sugar painting is not as popular as it once was, the craft has still captured quite an audience, and is gathering support left and right from the public and even the Government, who had sugar painting listed as a Provincial Non-Material Culture Heritage. Hopefully, the art of sugar painting will continue to last for many generations.
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Sources:
http://www.cits.net/china-travel-guide/a-sweet-art-sugar-painting.html
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/food/2012-03/13/content_15733363.htm
https://www.tour-beijing.com/china_travel_guide/culture/handicrafts/
https://www.tour-beijing.com/china_travel_guide/culture/handicrafts/sugar_painting/#.XGD_XxpOmf0
Wow! I’ve never had a “sugar painting” before, but I do wish to not only eat but also see on happening. I find it really inspiring when the guy talks about how he wants to pass on this skill that he has learned and that he doesn’t restrict it to anyone. I personally believe that there should be more “platforms” for people that want to make sugar paintings as a living so that the craft can continue to develop. Thank you for sharing this!
This article was very informative and interesting, as it describes how a sweet treat can have such an artistic aspect. It is amazing that people can carve out these beautiful designs out of sugar such as the fish and bicycle. Thank you for including pictures of some of the sugar designs, as they helped me to understand what you meant when you stated that it was an art. I personally also have never tasted sugar paintings, but I hope that I will get to see it being made and also buy one. I find it disappointing that this art is becoming less popular, as I believe that it is an important part of Chinese culture. It must require a lot of time and skill to learn how to carve these “paintings”, as the designs are very intricate. Keep up the good work!
amazing article! I remember eating these when I went back to China a few years ago. Even though this just taste like regular sugar, but I think it’s amazing how you can make all kinds of art using this. It is a very creative idea! I love how you included so many picture in this article. The butterfly one looks nice! I would definitely consider this rather than eating a plain old lollipop.
This article is very interesting. I never knew that people could create this type of art with sugar. It is really cool that someone can create art only to be eaten. I hope that someday I can try these treats. I hope more people learn about this and help the tradition survive.
thanks for this great article! as a kid, i used to love eating these lollipops and watching them being made. i remember spinning the wheel with all the chinese zodiac animal on it, wondering which animal the arrow will stop at. the animal it stopped at was the animal the person behind the cart would draw using the sugar. keep up the good work!
Amazing article! I’ve heard of 糖葫芦，but I never heard of 糖画! I think the paintings are so delicate and beautiful as it must take a lot of skill in order to do each painting. If I were to buy one of these lollipops, I don’t think I could eat it because they are just so amazing! I really appreciate the amount of time each painting must take to complete. The level of patience needed to finish them must be extremely high!!