Jiang Xuexin is an expert sugar painter in Wencheng county, Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Video/Wencheng County Party Committee Publicity Department]
Jiang Xuexin is a sugar painting expert who has been engaged in traditional art in Wencheng county, Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, for decades.
He has been invited to local schools many times to share the time-honored intangible cultural heritage item with younger generations.
As a renowned inheritor, Jiang said the craft is not as difficult as it seems but is not easy either. He explained that by using hot, liquid sugar to create two-dimensional objects on a marble or metal surface, the operator needs on one hand to ensure the painting is one centimeter thick and on the other hand make it appear subtle yet vivid.
Jiang added that melted sugar is placed in a small ladle made of bronze or copper, and after it cools it is stuck on a bamboo stick and removed using a spatula.
"I sincerely hope that more people will learn sugar painting and pass it on to future generations," Jiang said.
