Anren Lantern Rice Sculpture is the traditional arts and crafts of people in Anren County, Hunan Province to celebrate the festivals or happy events. Making the Lantern Rice Sculpture, commonly known as "Ji Po Gao", is a unique local cultural customs which has been formed spontaneously for thousands of years. In 2012, the Lantern Rice Sculpture was listed as the third batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage in Hunan.

Just come out of Lantern Rice Sculpture

Introduction:

During the Lantern Festival every year, every household, men, women and children in Anren County, regardless of urban and rural areas, must make the Rice Sculpture to celebrate the festival. The Rice Sculpture is mainly used for the worship of ancestor Shennong, children entertainment, market trade, snacks, collection etc. People also make the Rice Sculpture to sacrifice the Gods or give to friends as gifts in order to celebrate the wedding, birthday and full-month of babies. As time passes, this custom is formed in the surrounding counties and cities.

Historical origin:

The history of the Lantern Rice Sculpture is very long. In ancient times, the Lantern Rice Sculpture was originated in the Lantern Festival by Anren's ancestors to commemorate the ancestral Yan Emperor Shennong who invented the farming civilization. As time passes, this custom was formed. The using of the Lantern Rice Sculpture was gradually changed from the single sacrifice to the market trading, blind dating, gifts to relatives and friends, children's entertainment, and delicious food.

Main content：

"Lantern Rice Sculpture" has the basic characteristics of wide range of materials, and wide coverage and is the complex of universality, practicability, entertaining and artistic quality. The process is popular and each household has the utensils and raw materials that are good quality late indica rice, glutinous rice, food pigments, millstone (now changed to machine crushing), working table, rice sieve, chopsticks, knives , scissors, bowl, pot, steamer and so on.

The production process is fine and not complicated: firstly, select the late indica rice and a certain proportion of glutinous rice; secondly, crush the rice into powder and then sift; thirdly, well steam a small amount of sifted rice powder with water, and then mixed with dry rice flour and water to making into powder; fourth, put the dough into a variety of animal or plant shapes; fifthly, color to the animal or plant shapes, also known as " bringing out the crucial point "; sixthly, well steam with steamer and Ding pot. They can be instantly eaten, can be steamed after cooling and can be fried or roasted. You can taste delicious food, and also can enjoy the good food.

Inheritance value:

After the vicissitudes of life, the "Lantern Rice Sculpture" has accumulated rich cultural connotation with the aesthetic value, historical value, cultural value and folklore value etc. It has very important and scientific reference value on the excavation and research of traditional arts and crafts. It gave birth to generations of Anren artists, including the famous animal sculpture artist Zhou Qingding, international ceramic art master Zhou Guozhen, and famous painter Dong Fanghong. Their art start is derived from learning to make "Ji Po Gao" from their parents in their childhood. The "Lantern Rice Sculpture" enriches the people's food culture life and brings the happiness for the festival.

"Lantern Rice Sculpture" is an art rather than an emotion that reflects the people's desire for a better life and the pursuit of perfect and beautiful art. Is indeed Anren folk art in a bright pearl, is the precious wealth of human civilization. It is a bright pearl in the Anren folk art and is the precious wealth of human civilization.

Inheritance value:

After the vicissitudes of life, the "Lantern Rice Sculpture" has accumulated rich cultural connotation with the aesthetic value, historical value, cultural value and folklore value etc. It has very important and scientific reference value on the excavation and research of traditional arts and crafts. It gave birth to generations of Anren artists, including the famous animal sculpture artist Zhou Qingding, international ceramic art master Zhou Guozhen, and famous painter Dong Fanghong. Their art start is derived from learning to make "Ji Po Gao" from their parents in their childhood. The "Lantern Rice Sculpture" enriches the people's food culture life and brings the happiness for the festival.

"Lantern Rice Sculpture" is an art rather than an emotion that reflects the people's desire for a better life and the pursuit of perfect and beautiful art. Is indeed Anren folk art in a bright pearl, is the precious wealth of human civilization. It is a bright pearl in the Anren folk art and is the precious wealth of human civilization.