Ancient wood-cut toys still popular in Southern Shandong

Fan Jimei, an inheritor of Tancheng wood-cut toys, cuts the wood with a traditional lathe, which is not commonly used in toy factories in Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Up to now, Tancheng wood-cutt toys were classified into 10 categories with more than 600 varieties in pattern design, including traditional types based on facial makeup in Peking Opera, disks with patterns of the Eight Immortals of legend, tiger-head mallets, wooden cars in the shape of a swallow and sundries like baskets as well as wooden bowls.

Local folk artists are still eager to innovate and explore new productions to carry forward the traditional technology and adapt to the new market demand.