Sugar blowing is an old tradition in Chengdu, China. Sugar sculptures are a traditional form of Chinese folk art. This tradition consists of taking hot sugar and re-creating it into your sugar figure of choice.
These fragile, three-dimensional figures are usually bought and collected for ornamental purposes rather than consumption due to sanitation concerns, but they can technically still be eaten.
The most common figures are replications of roosters, dragons, and pigs, as well as weapons such as spears and machetes.
The technique used to make these beautiful sugar sculptures includes using a small charcoal stove to melt the sugar in a metal vessel.
Once at the right temperature, the artist extracts a ball, and he kneads it in his hands to produce elasticity and pliability. After being kneaded, a thin straw is then inserted into the sugar ball, allowing the artist to slowly inflate the object with air.
The artist then pinches and pulls the sugar, manipulating it to look like the design of choice. Sort of like this man who uses what looks like a skewer to draw designs in cotton candy.
Before the figure cools, the artist will usually decorate it with colors, and a wooden stick is inserted underneath. The straw can then later be taken out and sold as is.
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