Tang Hua, also known as "sugar shadow" and "sugar cake", is an ancient folk art with a history of more than 1000 years. It originated in Sichuan in the Tang Dynasty and is said to have evolved on the basis of the production skills of the ancient "sugar prime minister". Later, Sichuan folk artists improved their craft on this basis, operating small copper spoons directly without using molds, and drawing patterns with sugar solution.

To make Tang Hua, first of all, put the refined sucrose in a big copper spoon and melt it with a small fire. Then, use a small copper spoon as a pen and sugar solution as ink to create on the smooth marble board. Then, dig out Tang Hua with a small shovel and put it on the bamboo stick. Making Tang Hua is different from ordinary painting. First, apply it with melted sugar, and move quickly, otherwise it will solidify easily.

Secondly, Tang Hua is equivalent to continuous strokes, and each stroke cannot be interrupted. Therefore, it is necessary to design the stroke order of Tang Hua in advance, so as to complete the creation as soon as possible and prevent the sugar solution from getting cold and unusable. To be Tang Hua, you need to have certain painting skills. Before that, you need to practice painting. The main purpose of painting practice is to practice stroke order and composition.

The Development and Evolution of Tang Hua

Tang Hua was developed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and was quite popular in the Qing Dynasty. Its production technology has become more complicated and its theme has become wider. Most of them are auspicious patterns loved by the public, such as dragons, phoenixes, fish and monkeys. After the Qing Dynasty, it was introduced to Henan and Hebei, and it was depressed in the north in the late Qing Dynasty. Before the founding of New China and the reform and opening up, Tang Hua almost disappeared in Hebei and Peking.

In the early 1980s, Tang Hua developed. Because folk art often has a certain regional color, artists use different raw materials, Tang Hua shapes and techniques, which makes Tang Hua art flourish. As for street stalls, they are sold now, which is the characteristic of modern Tang Hua art