At 28, Lang Jiaziyu is reshaping China's ancient dough sculpting craft for the digital age 🔥. As the youngest inheritor of the 200-year-old 'Lang Beijing Dough Figurine' technique – recognized as national intangible cultural heritage – he's gone viral for creating pop culture-inspired figurines ranging from K-drama characters to esports champions 🏆.
"Each piece carries 8 generations of family wisdom," Lang told us, demonstrating how he transforms simple flour mixtures into intricate art within minutes. His TikTok tutorials (#DoughMagic) have attracted 2.3 million followers worldwide this year, proving traditional crafts can thrive in the 2026 creative economy 💡.
What's next? Lang recently collaborated with Milan Design Week and plans to launch AR-enabled figurines this spring. "It's not just preservation – it's cultural evolution," he says, molding a dough version of AI assistant XiaoIce while traditional Peking opera plays in his Beijing studio 🎭.
