Reviving dough art with precision and passion

Two peacocks display their dazzling feathers above a majestic dragon, which is gracefully coiled atop a drum. The drum, placed at the base of the sculpture, is intricately adorned with carvings of peonies and clouds.

This exquisite dough modeling artwork, Huakaifugui (Blossoms Bring Prosperity), has captivated netizens across China with its ingenious design and exceptional craftsmanship. The piece was created by Wang Yuyu, a 23-year-old culinary arts teacher at Yuyao Technician College in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

Wang began honing his sculpting skills at the age of 15, while still a student at the same college, specializing in fruit and vegetable carving.

However, he was not content with mastering only one skill. To expand his expertise, he traveled to Hebei province in August 2024 to study dough modeling — an intangible cultural heritage craft that uses sticky rice flour as its main material. By blending the flour with pigments, artisans create vivid figures, sculpted entirely by hand or with simple tools.

According to Wang, dough modeling shares certain techniques with fruit and vegetable carving, a connection that initially inspired him to explore this ancient art form.