Dog H20xL20mm, China
Children like creating sounds and Chinese children are no different, in fact sound making toy is a category by itself! What can more desirable than a portable cute looking figurine that can make beautiful sounds! Both of these whistles have a tail at the end as a mouth piece, the second hole for generating the sound is located at the bottom. These ceramic whistles are in the shape of a dog and a bird.
(S) H100xW50mm, China
This is not what the name suggests, it is perfectly legal… Strands of hemp fiber are tied to a metal wire like a bottle brush. With these wire, the monkey can becomes quite animated. The monkey comes in three different sizes with the large one going up to 300mm tall.
H150xW50xD70mm, Macau
Along the coasts and waterway of the southern China there is a tribe called the Tanka who reside on the junk boats. Each family would have two small boats,one anchored for living and the other for fishing. Wooden figurines of Gods and ancestors are made for worshiping and to offer blessing when they are out at sea. With the decreasing number of fish and the better job opportunities on land, there are now only 1/5 of the Tanka still living at sea.
H150xW100xD80mm, China
This is a clay toy named Da A Fu; legend has it that once upon a time, the area of Hui Shan was inhabited by wild monsters. The villagers were very afraid of them. One day the the Sand Child god, named Da A Fu, was send from heaven to tame the monsters. With magical powers, just a grin from Da A Fu, the monsters would become very gentle. The villagers made clay figures of Da A Fu to commemorate him. The figures are also used as a protector of devils.
W150xH150xD100mm, China
Chinese root carving is a broad term for carving that includes root, bark, knots and bamboo roots. The essence of these type of carving focuses on the natural growth of the material as well as abnormal growth. Hence, the major part of the artwork is translation from nature and with a small enhancement in detail. This type of carving is really material based, the knot, the grain, colours, etc. This particular one is a bamboo root carving of a helmet and a surrendered monster.
H170xW170xD70mm, China
In the old days, the Chinese would sit on the ground covered by a thin rice straw mat (similar to the Japanese tatami but with only the top layer). Stone or metal weights will be used to hold down the corner of the mat. These weights are normally based on animals such as lion, tiger, panther, tortoise, deer, sheep etc. The Chinese believe they will give blessing as well as protecting them from evils.
L100xH100xW50, Japan
To continue with the moon theme on the day of “moon chasing”, a rabbit is chosen for today’s topic. In the Japanese folk tale: an old man was at the end of his life, a fox, a monkey and a rabbit came to his aid. The monkey collected nuts and fruits, the fox catch a fish. The rabbit could only come up with some grass, so he decided to jumped into the fire and offer his own body. The old man touched by the rabbit’s act and reveal himself as the Buddha and save the rabbit. It is believe that the pattern on the moon is casted by the smoke when the rabbit jumped into the fire. This papier mache is rabbit from the 12 zodiac figures from the Sendai region. The head of the rabbit is made to swing.
H120xL120xW30mm, China
Tin toy was introduced into China at the turn of the century and by the 20s China has started producing tin toy. As they are durable and cheap they became the toy for many generations. The name tin toy came from the fact that it is made from thin sheets of steel plated tin which are then painted over. This windup toy of a boy and a dog, this is chosen for the blog because it resemble my dog spike!
H100x W50xD20mm, China
A clay monkey toy with the figure of mother and baby monkey painted on. The figurine is made from 2 pieces of clay joined together by a piece of sheep skin. When flexing it will make a sound of a monkey. This is a traditional toy for kids. (US$4)
H250xW100xD50mm, China (Hong Kong)
This wooden figure is covered in gold leave with painted features of the face (unfortunately the costume is no longer present). This particular figure has small bounded feet in red shoes. The Sea Goddess is believed to have the power to protect those at sea. Traditionally, the figurine is paraded at festive activities such as the Sea Goddess birthday (3rd Moon, day 23) blessing the people in the area.
Mountain Folkcraft 