By Wang Ying

n 5th February, Nantong Forest Safari Park received a pair of panda dough sculptures tailored for panda siblings ‘Xinghui’ and ‘Xingfan’ from Luo Bin, a representative successor of Nantong intangible cultural heritage.

Opening the packaging of the exquisite gift box, two cute panda dough sculptures were in sight. With round heads and chubby bodies, they were charmingly naive and adorable. Once the keeper held them out, they attracted a crowd of visitors in the park.

‘We drove here from Shanghai today, to see the two star cubs. We thought the younger one “Xingfan” was playing hide and seek and would not have a chance to see it, but seeing the vivid panda dough sculptures was like seeing real pandas.’ Cao’s family did not see ‘Xingfan’ in the cold wind and was going to leave, the two panda dough sculptures held out by the keeper surprised him. He said that they were really true to life. ‘It can be considered that the wish was fulfilled.’

Luo Bin, born in Nantong in 1968, has learnt dough sculpture making from his grandfather since he was a child. In 2013, Luo Bin was awarded ‘representative successor of Nantong intangible cultural heritage - dough sculpture’. ‘I like pandas very much. A few days ago when I came to Nantong Forest Safari Park and saw the panda siblings “Xinghui” and “Xingfan”, I thought them very cute. After I went home, with references of pictures, I made the two panda dough sculptures.’