Tianjin is buzzing these days — historic concessions and neon-lit skyscrapers side by side, East meets West vibes on every corner. Now a fresh docu is dropping light on one of its coolest traditions: Clay Figure Zhang.
In Sculpting the Soul of Tianjin 🎥 we follow Zhang Yu, the sixth-generation inheritor of the Clay Figure Zhang family. His story kicks off in the 19th century, when ancestor Zhang Mingshan moved from Shaoxing and turned local clay into lifelike figurines that still wow crowds today.
Growing up between the shelves of the family museum, Zhang Yu got low-key obsessed with those tiny sculptures — every detail, every vivid color felt like magic. Now heTs carrying the torch, blending old-school handiwork with fresh ideas so the craft stays alive, even as Tianjin races forward.
He faced the big challenge: how do you honor centuries-old tradition when the city’s skyline is changing faster than your phone updates? For Zhang Yu, the answerTs simple: preserve the classics and let future artists remix them. As he puts it, "The Clay Figure Zhang style may fade, but clay art wonTt disappear."
This episode drops just as the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit lands in Tianjin. While diplomats and entrepreneurs grab headlines, Zhang Yu reminds us of another side of the city — grassroots creativity and living heritage that shape TianjinTs soul.
Whether youTre on a train, bus, or scrolling through your feed, this docu is a quick dive into how a single family can mirror a whole cityTs spirit. ItTs art, history, and culture all rolled into one — and itTs got that perfect blend of tradition and innovation weTre all about.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
