面塑小史：从庙会供品到案头摆件

▍一团面的千年

面塑的源头能摸得很远。新疆吐鲁番阿斯塔那墓葬里，出土过唐代的面塑遗物——一千多年前的人，已经在用面团捏出陪葬的俑与兽。

往后的岁月里，面塑长进了节令与礼俗的骨缝里：春节蒸枣山，中元捏面羊，婚嫁送龙凤，寿诞供仙桃，孩子满月还有一圈"囫囵"。面团不贵，心意很重——谁家蒸了什么、送了什么，就是一本用吃食写的人情账。

2008 年，面花列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录（传统美术类），山西闻喜花馍、定襄面塑、新绛面塑等都在其列。（山西省闻喜县）

▍从供台到案头

面塑的旧主顾是庙会与红白事。山西岚县至今留着面塑供会的旧俗，每逢会期，整条长街摆开供台，各家把最得意的面塑摆上去，比谁的手巧——那是一年一度不带奖的评比。

如今面塑有了新去处。配方与工艺改了，蒸出来的作品放得住了，能摆、能藏、能送人：戏文里的人物、柜台上的醒狮、孩子属的生肖，一团面从"能吃的非遗"变成了"能藏的非遗"。

变的只是存放的日子，不变的是手上的功夫：搓、捏、擀、剪、压，一只面羊身上的几十道工序，一道也省不掉。

▍问答

问 ｜ 面塑和面人、花馍是一回事吗？

答 ｜ 同宗不同支。面塑是总称，泛指用面团捏塑造型的手艺；北方的花馍（面花）偏重节令礼俗、蒸制而成，京津一带的面人偏重赏玩塑形。2008 年面花列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录，山西闻喜花馍、定襄面塑都在其中。

问 ｜ 面塑摆件能放多久？会不会开裂发霉？

答 ｜ 老法子做的花馍是要吃的，放不久；如今案头摆件多经过工艺改良，干透后能在干燥通风处放数年。养护就两条：怕潮不怕干，梅雨天别挨墙放；落了灰用软毛刷轻扫，别用水洗。

问 ｜ 韵和鸣只有漆器吗？还有哪些品类？

答 ｜ 不只是漆器。韵和鸣以平遥推光漆器起家，如今整合的是漆、竹、绣、银、锦、瓷等多个非遗品类，做的是全国范围的非遗手工品。品类不少，标准只有一条：必须是真的非遗手工。

📩 非遗项目 ｜ 匠人举荐 ｜ 跨境出海 ｜ 线下联营

欢迎留言或后台联系，我们与匠人同行。

—— 韵和鸣 · 与匠人同行

〖 史 〗

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English

The roots of dough modeling reach far back: in the Astana tombs of Turpan, Xinjiang, dough figurines from the Tang dynasty were unearthed—people over a thousand years ago were already modeling burial figures and beasts out of dough.

In the centuries after, dough modeling grew into the very grain of festivals and rites: date-mountain buns at New Year, dough rams at the Ghost Festival, dragon-and-phoenix for weddings, longevity peaches for birthdays, and a ring of "wholeness" buns for a baby's first month. Dough costs little; the feeling weighs much—what a household steamed and gave away was a ledger of human bonds written in food.

In 2008, dough flowers were inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list under traditional fine arts, with Wenxi huamo, Dingxiang dough modeling and Xinjiang-county dough modeling of Shanxi among them. (Wenxi County, Shanxi)

The craft's old patrons were temple fairs and the rites of life. In Lan county, Shanxi, the custom of a dough-modeling offering fair survives: when the fair opens, offering tables line a whole street, each household setting out its proudest pieces in a prize-less annual contest of hands.

Today dough modeling has a new destination. With changes in recipe and method, steamed pieces now keep—they can be displayed, collected, given: figures from the operas, lions for the counter, a child's zodiac animal. A lump of dough has turned from "heritage you can eat" into "heritage you can keep."

What changed is only how long it keeps; what has not is the work of the hand—rolling, pinching, pressing, snipping—the dozens of steps on a single dough ram, not one to be skipped.

Are dough modeling, dough figurines and huamo the same thing?

Same family, different branches. Dough modeling is the umbrella term for shaping figures from dough; northern huamo (dough flowers) leans toward seasonal rites and is steamed, while the dough figurines of Beijing and Tianjin lean toward display. In 2008 dough flowers entered the national ICH list, with Wenxi huamo and Dingxiang dough modeling of Shanxi among them.

How long can a dough-modeling ornament keep, and will it crack or mold?

Old-method huamo was made to be eaten and did not keep; today's desktop pieces use improved methods and, once dried through, can sit for years in a dry, airy place. Care comes down to two rules: it fears damp, not dryness—keep it off the wall in rainy season; dust it with a soft brush, never wash it.

Does YUNHEMING only carry lacquerware? What other categories are there?

Not lacquerware alone. YUNHEMING began with Pingyao polished lacquerware and now brings together lacquer, bamboo, embroidery, silver, brocade and porcelain, curating heritage handwork from across China. Many categories, one standard: it must be genuine heritage handwork.

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