A similar story also applies to Nie Chenxi, the inheritor of Gaomi clay sculpture.

Nie was very busy making clay sculpted dogs when Spring Festival drew to a close. The clay dogs are painted in jubilant colors and are shaped in modern styles to make the traditional craft more attractive to younger customers. More than 400 of Nie's clay dogs had been ordered before Spring Festival even began.

Clay dogs created by Nie Chenxi and his son, Nie Peng. [Photo by Sha Jianlong/chinanews.com]

The clay sculpted dogs were the combined effort of Nie and his son, who are invested in integrating Gaomi Niejiazhuang clay sculpture with other art forms and modern structures. They have been innovatively trying to combine paper cutting and ash-patting New Year painting into Gaomi clay sculpture in order to interweave the three folk arts into one.

In recent years, the father and son duo have been invited to attend various exhibitions and cultural exchanges in the United States, France and Belgium. Nie’s son, Nie Peng, is planning to build a live-broadcasting platform where people can learn the necessary skills to recreate this traditional art at home.