Mian Ren is a form of traditional
Chinese folk art
Chinese folk art or Chinese handcrafts are artistic forms inherited from a regional or ethnic scene in China. Usually there are some variation between Province (China), provinces. Individual folk arts have a long history, and many traditions are ...
. Flour figures are made of coloured rice flours, colouring, stone wax and honey. Craftsmen can make lively figures out of the coloured flour balls with a small bamboo knife. They used to carry their tools around villages and towns to sell them for a very basic living.
''Chinese flour figure''
Traditions, Cultural China, Retrieved 21 September 2012 Sometimes flour figures are used in dishes as food crafts along with vegetable carvings.
Flour figures were considered as little delights not found in elegant imperial staterooms. They are mainly collected by children as toys.
Origin
The origin of the specific craft is unknown. According to archaeological discoveries figures of humans and pigs were found in the Xin Jiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
province tombs. They are considered more than 1,340 years old. In a Southern Song
The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, ending ...
period book called '''', Mian Ren was defined as a food ornament that could be eaten as a snack.
References
{{Reflist
Chinese cuisine
Chinese folk art
Arts in China