Bozhou · Dough Figurine · Collectible

The Pinched Tang Lady

A Tang-dynasty lady, pinched from a ball of dough, smaller than your palm — kept under glass as a desk companion and a gift.

玻璃罩里的唐风小人 · 亳州面塑。亳州手艺集群的第三缕线索：香（草本）→ 土（红泥）→ 面（面团）→ 核（核桃）。

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A Bozhou dough figurine under a glass dome — Original photography · Bozhou dough figurine under a glass dome

The craft behind a ball of dough

Bozhou, 33.8°N — where the fingertip craft lives

Bozhou is an ancient city on the 33rd parallel north, best known for its herbs. But the same small city also pinches dough into little Tang-dynasty ladies — a folk craft passed hand to hand for generations.

Dough figurine (mian su) starts from wheat flour and a little binder, colored with food-grade pigments, shaped entirely by hand in minutes, then cured and painted. We keep the best pieces under a glass dome so you can live with them, slowly.

"A ball of dough has no face until your hand gives it one."

An artisan pinching a dough figure by hand — Pinching the form by hand (preview)

From a ball to a lady

No mold, no machine — only hands

①

Knead

Rest the dough, vent the air

②

Pinch & shape

Thumb and fingers build the form

③

Dot the eye

One brush stroke "opens" the face

④

Cure & dome

Paint, cure, set under glass

🎬 We film the whole process — what you keep is not just a figure, but a piece of handcraft time you can see and trust.

The piece · specs

What arrives, and what to expect

Material	Wheat dough + food-grade pigment, cured (steamed / air-dried) — decorative, not edible
Size & weight	≈ 6–12 cm · fits in the palm (each piece varies by hand)
Motifs	Tang-dynasty lady · zodiac animals · wedding / blessing figures · custom on request
Includes	Figure + glass dome + cork base + gift box + signed maker card
Edition	Handmade one-of-a-kind; made to order, not mass-produced
Lead time	Made to order · ~1–3 weeks (cure + paint by hand)

Real handmade

Knead, pinch, dot-the-eye on camera — proof of handmade, not a machine mold or a义乌 repro.

Glass-dome keepsake

Set on a cork base; a desk companion and a quiet, human gift.

Collectible & gift

Collection line + zodiac / wedding gift line — one craft, two angles.

Care & compliance

Read before you keep it

⚠ This is a decorative craft — not food, not medicine (非食品). It is made from dough but finished as a collectible object; do not eat. Figures with small parts are not suitable for children under 3 (choking risk). Keep from humidity and direct heat; handle gently. We never claim it is "unbreakable".

Bozhou's latitude and terroir are the cultural and geographic background of this craft — they are not any efficacy or food-safety claim. A dough figurine is a decorative object, full stop.