Chinese straw sculpture team earns up to 40 million yuan a year (3)

Photo shows a life-like gorilla made of straw. (Photo/yangtse.com)

Video footage of life-like colossal straw sculptures of a stern-looking gorilla and terrifying crocodiles and mantises, produced by a team from Shuyang county, Suqian city, east China's Jiangsu province, has recently left many netizens stunned.

One netizen marveled that their childhood dream of big toys made of straw has now become a reality, while another commented that these innovative works have created a fairy tale world for children. Others believed that they can be used to attract tourists and develop the rural economy.

Xie Zhuangzhi, a member of the production team behind these mammoth sculptures, explained that there are mainly two steps involved in making them -- welding and manual straw weaving.

"Welding is a very important step. Only by vividly welding out the main frameworks of the animals can we weave straw based on them in the later stage," explained Xie, adding that the welding of steel frames require the right weather and welders with at least one or two years of experience.

According to Xie, in the second step of manual straw weaving, the team will invariably use straw ropes or curtains, instead of raw materials directly from the fields.

The process seems simple, but due to the degree of difficulty and complexity, it takes a lot of time to complete these two procedures in the course of a sculpture’s production. “To produce an 8-meter-high gorilla, seven people need to work together for half a month," said Xie.

These sculptures are mainly sold for decoration purposes at tourist attractions, rural areas and farmlands. "Our team has been producing straw sculptures since 2016. Now, our annual sales reach about 40 million yuan ($6.2 million). There is still a big market to be tapped," disclosed Xie.

"In fact, the straw sculpture can be said to be the inheritance of Chinese traditional farming culture," Xie said, while explaining that straw sculpture production is beneficial for the re-employment of the rural population and increasing farmers' incomes.

"Our team has employed more than 30 villagers in Shuyang who specialize in straw weaving. At present, their monthly income is about 3,000 yuan," he said.