A brief analysis of the influence of ancient Chinese traditional folk toy crafts on modern times

Author: Huang Zhe, Hubei University of Technology

China has a long history and culture of thousands of years, in the thousands of years of cultural development has formed a cultural diversity, of which the ancient Chinese traditional folk toys as part of the cultural inheritance, is still still playing an immeasurable role in economic and cultural development, toys are companions with the growth of children, in the stage of children's growth will bring fun and ideological enlightenment to children. China's ancient folk traditional toy categories are diverse, in the material, pattern, craftsmanship and other aspects of a unique artistic style, favored at home and abroad.

First, an overview of ancient traditional folk toy crafts

China's ancient toys in the choice of materials are very different, mainly made of mud, wood, straw, bamboo, cloth and other materials, the material is simple and easy to obtain, but because these materials have great difficulty in preservation, there are almost no antiquities left in history, so most of the research on this kind of aspect is traced and studied through the inheritance of ancient documents and traditional handicrafts to be analyzed.

Through archaeological research, China's Neolithic period appeared toys, its earliest excavation in Shaanxi and Shandong, is made of clay fired pottery and pottery pig, pottery is a kind of oval pottery, through the blowing of the upper end of the small hole can make a sound, pottery pig is pig-shaped pottery, the appearance of pig-like and named, but in the production of the technique is relatively rough, pottery toys are also found in other regions, but in the shape will be different. The toys of the Shang and Zhou dynasties unearthed in Zhengzhou are also pottery products, which have gradually matured in appearance, technique and style compared with the cultural relics of the Neolithic era. A large number of handicrafts have been unearthed from cultural sites in the Han Dynasty, which not only continue the advantages of the previous periods, but also innovatively use green glaze to make pottery toys more stylish, and there are similar records in the literature. In the Tang Dynasty, due to the emergence of Tang Sancai, there was great progress in toys, ceramic toys became the most popular toys at that time, whether it was folk or official eunuchs, the metropolis had several ceramic products, and the cultural relics excavated from its site also had a lot of ceramics. The cultural relics unearthed in the Song Dynasty are more about ceramic products, and their types are more abundant than those of the Tang Dynasty, in terms of literature, it can be seen from Su Hanchen's "Cargo Lang" paintings that the toys that appeared in the Song Dynasty at that time were diverse, and dozens of kinds appeared in the paintings alone, from which these toys can also reflect the humanistic customs of the time.

Second, the characteristics of ancient traditional folk toys

Ancient Chinese traditional folk toys have undergone thousands of years of development, evolved into many kinds, they have made great progress in both craftsmanship and materials, according to different seasons, occasions are also divided into different types.

1. Entertainment

Children in the process of growth education, entertainment is a large part, for children's intellectual development and physical exercise is of great help, Chinese traditional folk toy materials are easily available, and the production principle is mostly simple, which expands its popularity. The entertainment of toys is usually unfolded through the form of individuals and collectives, individuals are usually carried out through the playing, dismantling and other ways of toys, and the collective is carried out by making games, usually playing, playing, etc. There is no accurate boundary between individual and collective forms.

2. Seasonality

Because ancient China attaches great importance to grain, grain is the basis of the country's development of the population, so there is a great progress in the study of solar terms, the formation of a relatively perfect festival, many of which have their corresponding folk festivals, which will also organize activities, in folk activities, the participation of folk toys increases the interest of the festival, the following is the author according to the local festival seasons and the classification of the main toys.

3. Nootropic

Ancient traditional folk toys to the back of the emergence of many branches, to the back gradually formed their own field, of which educational toys for children's logical thinking ability and intelligence development has a great help, such toys are mainly by the chessboard class and ring class, chessboard toys are mainly "backgammon", "tic-tac-toe chess", etc., with the characteristic chess pieces or pick up some stones, draw the chessboard can be used to play, simple, the later also formed a variety of styles and chess methods. The representative of the ring game is the well-known nine rings, it is composed of rings and rods, according to certain steps and methods to make the two separate can be completed, this test is the psychological state of people, usually need to be calm and unravel, the more acute frizz will make the more complex the nine rings. There are also simple versions of the nine rings, such as seven rings and thirteen rings, which have begun to be popularized in the Ming Dynasty and became popular in the Qing Dynasty, and the nine rings are not only educational toys, but also toys that exercise human character. In addition to chessboards and ring puzzle toys, there is also a version of the class, the most famous "tangram board", which is composed of seven small boards, which can be put together into different shapes and things. For children's intelligence improvement is of great help, in addition to the famous Huarong Dao, is a kind of game changed according to history, toys have a variety of solutions, creative, but also quite competitive, since its inception, has been popular.

Third, the influence of ancient traditional folk toy crafts on modern times

Chinese folk traditional toy crafts are diverse, far-reaching inheritance, the author introduced only a part, many famous folk toys are with the development of history in the long river of history. However, its concept has reference significance for the modern toy industry, and its fun and intellectual nature have great guiding significance for the development of the modern toy industry. The production of many toys is based on the traditional Chinese folk toy forms and processes, improving and innovating them. The history and craftsmanship of ancient traditional folk toys also have a great reference role for our current development, and play an immeasurable role in our understanding of the culture and folk customs at that time. As we in the new era, we must understand and carry forward the folk toy craft, understand the traditional Chinese history and culture, on the basis of inheriting the national tradition, have the courage to explore and dare to open up, so that the old trees of China's ancient folk toy craft can blossom new flowers, flourish and flourish, and become more and more prosperous.

Source: Guangming Network