Clay Statue Zhang of Tianjin 天津“泥人张”

Clay Statue Zhang of Tianjin is a school of folk clay statues，originated from the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) ， created by a craftsman named Zhang Chang lin.According to the Digests about Tian ji，by Zhang tao， written in the Period of Guang xu(1875-1908) ， “Zhang Chang lin was living in the west of the city， with the courtesy name of Ming shan， born in a clay statue family.The characters’statues in the raditional opera created from his hands were lifelike and well-known both inland and overseas.The foreigner once bought his works at high price and placed them in the museums for people to appreciate.He was especially good at making smal-sized clay statue..”Zhang Chang ln learnt the clay sculpture with his father when he was little.By the age of 18， he had been called Cay Statue Zhang for his proficiency， and ran his family clay sculpture workshop， Sugu Zhai， It is said that he could pinch out a person’s statue which not only resembled closely but also was lifelike， just in the twinkling of an eye while talking with him or her.

天津“泥人张”是一个民间泥塑的流派，起源于清代，其创始人是一位名叫张长林的泥塑艺人。成书于清光绪年间张焘著的《津门杂记》中记载：“城西张姓名长林，字明山，以捏塑世其家，向所捏戏剧人物，各班角色形象逼真，早已远近驰名。西洋人曾以重价购之，置诸博物院中供人玩赏，而为人做小像，尤其长技也。张长林自幼随父亲学习泥塑，练就一手绝技，18岁即被人称为“泥人张”以家族形式经营泥塑作坊塑古斋。据说他只需和人对坐谈天，手中捏一块泥，不动声色，瞬间就能捏成对面者的泥像，不仅形神毕肖，而且栩栩如生。

The second-generation descendants of Clay Statue Zhang are Zhang Zhao rong， with the courtesy name of Yu ting， whois the son of Zhang Chang lin.His workmanship of pinching clay figurine inherited from the family，but was innovative.His works paid attention to reflect the lives of common people.He was good at showing figures’ inner spirit by dynamic gestures， and blended vivid flavor into realistic depiction.

泥人张第二代传人张兆荣，字玉亭，是张长林之子。他捏泥人的手艺承自家学，又有创新，作品注重反映城市中的平民生活，善于以动态来展示人物的内心精神，寓生动的情趣于逼真的描绘之中。

The Third-generation descendants of Clay Statue Zhang are represented by Zhang Jing hu，nephew of Zhang Zhao rong. On the basis of inheriting traditional style， his emphasis on folk songs creation extended the performance range of the painted Clay Statue Zhang.

泥人张的第三代传人，以张兆荣之侄张景祜为代表，他在继承传统作风的基础上，重视采风创作，扩展了泥人张彩塑的表现范围。

Clay Statue Zhang has been founded more than a century.Its painted sculpture is of a wide range of topics：some reflect the folk customs， while some are based on folk tales， stage drama or traditional opera， or being directly inspired by classical literature.The characters they created not only resemble the origins in appearance， but also can express the spirit， which make it both realistic and vivid.