According to the legend, dough figurines originated from Zhuge Liang’s “gelatinous rice figurines.” In Taiwan, dough figurines are also called gelatinous rice dolls. In the early times, we could also see operatic shows with dough figurines in front of temple squares. Mr. Shih of Yigu Zhai Shih Chiao-yung Workshop expressed that his family has been engaged in the dough figurine craft for five generations. From operatic performances in temple squares to giving figurine craft lessons, they have been contributing themselves to folk culture.
In the early times, people made dough figurines with gelatinous rice, sweet potato, and bean paste. At that time, people also dipped these figurines into syrup and tasted them like lollipops. As the times change, people no longer make dough figurines with edible ingredients, such as bean paste, sweet potato, and gelatinous rice. However, they don’t use artificial dough either. Instead, they use flour, salt, and food coloring as ingredients to give more value for the preservation of the finished products. After kneading, pressing, dotting, pasting, adhering, and rubbing the ingredients, artisans can develop their creativity in making figurines with their innovation.

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