Bristle Figurines artist

Tucked in his bungalow along a Beijing alleyway, Bai Dacheng is the city's sole inheritor of a special skill --bristle figurine making. The clay dancers were a favorite in the age before modern entertainment. Now, people are giving them a new kind of appreciation. And Bai Dacheng is the keeper of figurine culture.

Elderly people, living in Beijing's rustic alleyways, hold Peking Opera dear to their hearts. On clear mornings, they'll gather in parks, to lose themselves in their favorite songs. Peking Opera swept the capital more than two hundred years ago. To this day, it holds a huge following. And the opera itself has spawned new art forms, including bristle figurines. The figurines made popular toys when television was still a rarity.

Bai Dacheng is the city's sole remaining bristle figurine artist. With a childhood passion for Peking Opera, and a strong knowledge of painting, Bai dove into the art form, and has been immersed in it for forty-six years.