Li Xiaogang, a 46-year-old resident in Pingliang, northwest China's Gansu province, wows people with handmade dough figurines shaped into the artworks of Sun Wukong, a popular mythological figure also known as Monkey King.

Li shows a dough figurine. (Photo/Zheng Bing)

Admiring dough art for 40 years, after learning how to make the dough figurines from his family, Li studied under a local artist later becoming the third-generation inheritor of dough art in Pingliang.

He can not only simulate the scenarios in traditional festivals with his handicrafts, but infuse modern elements into folk art and recreate scenes from daily life. Li also has a talent for making cartoon and legendary figures, flowers, birds and animals.

Dough figurine Sun Wukong (Photo/Zheng Bing)

At first, he mainly made handicrafts to earn money to improve life for his family, Li said, adding that now he also considers creating dough figurines a hobby as well as a way to pass down the heritage.

According to Li, dough figurines of Sun Wukong are well received in the market, with over 100 sold at most within one day. He has made over 20,000 Sun Wukong figurines in various patterns in recent years.

His artworks are normally priced between 15 yuan to 200 yuan, with some of the Sun Wukong series selling as high as several thousand yuan.

A family on the Loess Plateau (Photo/Zheng Bing)

In June 2019, Li participated in an exhibition and performance of intangible cultural heritage in Dunhuang, Gandu province, on behalf of Pingliang, and his artworks also won third prize in a contest held by the Kongtong Mountain scenic area.