The tenth class of the Shandong intangible culture heritage classroom, led by Nie Chenxi, the 21th-generation provincial inheritor of Niejiazhuang clay sculpture, opened on May 6 at the Shandong Provincial Culture Center in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.

"The craft of making a clay sculpture involves a series of complicated processes such as raw material collection, mud filtering, casting and firing, all inherently difficult and dangerous to kids," said Nie.

"I decide to teach them how to color the clay sculptures, which is the last procedure. The kids could then paint their own works with creativity."

Nie detailed the whole process of making a clay sculpture in the class to feed children's curiosity and deepen their knowledge of the ancient craft.

Nie Chenxi, the provincial inheritor of Niejiazhuang clay sculpture, inspects clay sculptures colored by children on May 6 at the Shandong Provincial Cultural Center. [Photo/WeChat account:sdswhg]

About 30 children took part in the painting class, all intrigued by Nie's fascinating lecture.

"I like painting very much and I am very satisfied with my creation today. I have learned about clay sculptures and I really enjoyed the do-it-myself class," said Sun Xiang, a second-grader from Jinan Shungeng Elementary School.

A youngster concentrates on painting her clay sculpture during the tenth edition of the Shandong intangible cultural heritage classroom held on May 6 at the Shandong Provincial Cultural Center. [Photo/WeChat account:sdswhg]

Niejiazhuang clay sculptures are produced mainly in Niejiazhuang Village, Gaomi County, Shandong province. The sculptures have a long history, dating back more than 400 years. Common subjects for the figurines include animals like the tiger, lion, monkey, dog, cat, chicken and duck, legendary stories such as the White Snake and Sun Wukong, and mythical figures. There are also many clay figurines with sound effects. These figurines seem to come alive through their coloring.

Organized by the Shandong Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, the classroom has been open every Saturday since March 4 in a bid to introduce and teach the province's intangible cultural heritages to kids.

Every course is taught by a state or provincial level intangible cultural inheritor and children between 6 and 12 can sign up for the classes.