Sugar blower Zhang Yiliang, or Sugar Figure Zhang blows into the air pocket of a sugar ball with a blow pipe and shapes the surface into a sugar mouse on ancient Jinli Street in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan Province.

When you step onto the ancient street of Jinli you will notice a rich display of intangible cultural heritage including flour figures, sugar blowing, sugar painting and shadow plays. These traditional parts of the Chinese culture still enjoy a strong vitality, good economic returns and social influence in Jinli.

Sugar blowing expert Zhang Yiliang, who is known in Jinli as Tangren Zhang, or Sugar Figure Zhang, sets up his stand on the scenic street. He says that it is difficult to find somebody else in Chengdu who has mastered this time-honored handcraftsmanship. The sugar blower has made the variety of sugar figures that he displays on his stand. He first prepares his basic recipe of hard candy by heating it until it becomes soft. He then picks up a lump of the soft sugar and makes a small hollow to attach his blow pipe. Zhang then slowly blows through the pipe and enlarges the air pocket inside the sugar ball and shapes the outside with skillful fingers. Zhang says, the secret to making the different shapes lies in how fast and how accurately you can move your fingers.

Zhu Zhengguo is more than 70 years old and is a member of the folk culture association in Chengdu. He is famous for making "Shuahuo"-traditional toys made out of lumps of plastic. "Shuahuo Zhu" used to make nine-interlinking-hoops out of copper, a type of toy that is good for developing a child's intellect. He also made figures out of flour. Through experience, skill and aspiration he has now created a series of vivid plastic figures. He also makes some typical and popular products for visitors including a "panda playing a drum" and "a monkey swinging over a horizontal bar."

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