By Xinyi Li, EDITOR

Li Mei presents the glass shoes in her dream with the sugar painting, making it available. Just finishing the exhibition of intangible projects in Chongqing, Li Mei went back to Longxing Town, Chongqing. As the inheritor of producing sugar paintings in Yubei District, she lives a bittersweet life like the Taiji Eight Diagrams in ancient China.

Li Mei and her works

The Favorite of This Professional Tailor Loves the Sugar Painting Made by Her Grandfather

Li Mei had to drop out at the age of 14. To solve the life pressure, she started her career as a tailor in the garment factory. Back home, therefore, she decided to open a tailor’s shop in the village.

In Li Mei’s eyes, her grandfather’s sugar painting seems to be a present from Santa Claus, which delights herself, companions and other children. So she made another decision, to learn the sugar painting from her grandfather. When she was 17 years old, she began to work as a tailor and meanwhile sell sugar paintings.

The traditional sugar painting

From 2D to 3D, Her Sugar Paintings Look Increasingly Different

At first, only the traditional planar the sugar painting could be produced, to draw the outline with a spoon of sugar on a marble slab covered with salad oil. Then one day it suddenly occurred to her that whether she could make a three-dimensional sugar painting. During the exploratory stage, Li Mei used the golden maltose to make three-dimensional patterns, flowers, and animals. A variety of sugar was displayed in different shapes. And she felt unsatisfied with the monotonous color.

She is doing the color modulation

As a result, the red of carmine radish, and the green of spinach, such colors of vegetables appeared in the sugar after boiling, thus generating the colors she wants.

Li Mei is coloring on the sugar

From Crystal Shoes to Colorful Fish, Things with Good Luck Have All Become the Best Materials

Li Mei has put numerous works through a number of failures into her display case. It is not a technical failure, but she believes that an absolute quiet heart is a must to produce the three-dimensional sugar painting.

She is making a petal for the orchid

Without enough education, Li Mei still knows many fairy tales and has also watched a lot of TVs. “Jinyumantang” (abundant wealth in the family), “Houdezaiwu” (self-discipline and social commitment), “Jiqingyouyu” (expectations for auspiciousness), “Fulu” (happiness and success), “Tianezhiwei” (the kiss of swans), and “Shuijingwumeng” (dancing the dream with crystal), such words full of blessing are converted into wonderful works by her. They symbolize her longing for a better life, as well as her expectation for tomorrow, to bring more hope for her.

The purple crystal high-heeled shoes

The strangers may consider the sugar painting as a lonely craftsmanship. After all, as the living standards get increasingly better, who will be fond of the rare sugar painting?

But in children’s eyes, it is just like magic, enriching the mono-color maltose. The turntable looks sacred when “rotating”. Like it or not, that’s where it stops. The finished product will soon become a sweet “magic instrument” to make children joyful.

The swan

Source: Chongqing Evening News