For the past ten years, Zhang Weining's fascination with dough figurine sculpture has grown greatly and her talent has increased tremendously. But now her aim is to hold an exhibition of all her creations.

 

In only a few seconds, the middle school teacher in Xi'an, who is more than forty-years old, can make a "pearl necklace" out of plain dough.

 

 

Zhang Weining's house is not big and her workshop is only a desk, on which there is a tool tray, a material tray and a drying machine. Her works are put in a transparent box, looking vivid and alive in the lamplight. Since 1995, Zhang Weining has made nearly 1000 dough figurines, 90 percent of which are female figures. As a child, she was good at drawing and liked to design costumes. As she grew older, she began to make dough figurines. However, while she found it easy to make the figurines, she often found it hard to keep them intact.

 

In order to solve the problem, she went to the local craftsman for advice and also studied on her own. At last, she found a technique to prepare the materials and make her figurines with great ease.. Now she can make a ten-centimeter-tall figure in one or two days.

 

 

The first step of the process to make a figure is to make a general body, then glue on the moulded ears and nose, then gradually add clothes, head flowers, ornaments and so on.

What sets Zhang Weining's works apart from other clay figurines is the deep meaning they convey. She reads a lot of literature relating to her designs, and with her research she can accurately design the costumes and poses. Zhang Weining is such an innovative woman that all her works are unique. In July, 2007, an art exhibition for the disabled was held in Beijing Natural Museum. Zhang Weining's work Goddess of Mercy with a Thousand Arms attracted a large audience and the media. Deng Pufang, Chairman of China Disabled Union, came to congratulate her in person. To Zhang Weining, that was a great honor.

Zhang Weining says her ambition is to hold an exhibition of her dough figurines with the theme of 'women and their pursuit of beauty'. She also hopes that more people will discover and further appreciate her art form.