[Explanation] There are countless skilled craftsmen in Chengdu. Luo Jieru, a native of Chengdu, is one of them. She uses a pair of skillful hands to make soft ceramics that are smaller than a coin very delicately. Recently, the reporter came to her studio to find out.
It is understood that Luo Jieru's soft pottery hand-made is called Shiwan and originated in Japan. Her works not only include dandan noodles, bell dumplings, glutinous rice balls, egg-baked cakes, sugar-oiled fruits and other mouth-watering Chengdu snacks, but also small and cute animals such as squirrels, foxes, cats, and rabbits. At the same time, she not only made ornaments, but also turned fresh and attractive soft pottery vegetables and fruits into earrings, brooches and other accessories.
[Contemporary] Luo Jieru, author of Food Game
I have always liked this idea. I have been in contact with this since 2013, and I have done this. At that time, I also made earrings for colleagues. After they made them, they said it was rare for me to make earrings. Because I have a child, I touched it again, and I felt that this thing could actually make me feel uncomfortable when I touched it again. After soaking in this soft clay for a long time, I wanted to do it, and I had many ideas.
[Commentary] Luo Jieru said that she has always liked to make crafts, from making cups for her daughter at first, and then making them smaller and smaller. Every time she completes a finished product, she feels very satisfied.
[Contemporary] Luo Jieru, author of Food Game
Now that it’s getting smaller and smaller, it’s fun. When you see what you eat, you want to make it. That’s the kind of (impulse). For example, if you buy a cake or something, you want to make it when you come back, then make this cake, and you want to make whatever you want to eat. Because this clay is extremely plastic, everything you can see can be displayed with soft clay anyway.
[Explanation] From fruits and vegetables to snacks, animals to plants; from earrings to brooches, water cups to soup spoons, Luo Jieru's works are increasing. According to preliminary estimates, there are more than a hundred types of hand-made soft pottery, and the number is thousands. The finished product looks exquisite and detailed, but the production process is still somewhat difficult.
[Contemporary] Luo Jieru, author of Food Game
The difficulty is still there, that is to say it has a fine degree. You have to make it very similar and realistic, so sometimes you have to find some pictures. For example, for a bean, you have to find a picture, which is an enlarged picture of the bean, and then you can see it more clearly and you can make it very detailed.
[Explanation] Although he has produced different kinds of works, as a "foodie", most of Luo Jieru's hand-made works are related to food. Luo Jieru said that every time she makes food and plays, she will arouse her appetite. She uses appetite as motivation, and the more she makes it, the better it looks, and the more she makes it, the more realistic it becomes. Currently, she is focusing on Chengdu snacks and hopes to make a series of foods from all over the country in the future.
[Contemporary] Luo Jieru, author of Food Game
Because what I cook now is mainly related to the food. What I think now is that there are more food in Sichuan, but now I will slowly finish the food in Sichuan. After finishing it, I think about making snacks from other cities, and make a series of them.
[Explanation] In addition to food and animals, Luo Jieru also resurrected many childhood memories belonging to the "post-80s" through hand-made, such as the domestic cartoon "Snow Child". Luo Jieru said that she wanted to do too many things, and she was also looking for tricks to find infinite possibilities of creation, and she would continue on the road of soft pottery.
He Xi Yang Yudi reports from Chengdu, Sichuan
Editor in charge: 【Luo Pan】