Traditional craft captivates taste of modern audiences

The soaring global popularity of the Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong has inspired a sculptor to create a traditional dough figurine of its main character.

Handcrafted by Zhao Rui, the detailed and colorful figurine of Sun Wukong from the classic novel Journey to the West has captivated visitors during the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Wheaten Food Carnival in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. The festival runs until Sept 8.

Zhao, a 35-year-old resident of Wanrong county in Shanxi, hails from a family deeply rooted in the art of dough sculpture and is a sixth-generation inheritor of the Wanrong dough sculpture tradition, which can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

It took Zhao about 16 hours to knead, roll and shape the 50-centimeter-tall figure. He told China Daily it was a challenge to capture the character's expressions and the details in his costume.

"The game, featuring 27 historical sites in Shanxi, has filled me, a native of Shanxi, with pride and satisfaction," he said. "Through the medium of dough sculpture, I aim to cater to the younger generation's love for animation and gaming, and thereby contribute to the cultural and tourism development of the province."

His exquisite creation has been well-received by attendees during the carnival.

"The craftsmanship is exquisite, from the armor to the facial expressions, exuding a sense of grandeur," one visitor remarked.