The "Pig Hair Doll" is a unique form of folk handicrafts in Beijing with a history of over 100 years, which emerged in the end of Qing Dynasty under the influence of Chinese shadow play and Beijing opera. In 1915, the Pig Hair Doll was awarded the silver medal of Panama Pacific International Exposition and became famous ever since.
The doll's head and base are made of plaster, with its body made of straw. It's dressed in colored paper or silk and lined with cotton wadding. Different types of facial makeup and dresses are created according to the specific characters and stories. On its base there sticks a circle of pig hair as long as two or three centimeters, and a juicy Pig Hair Doll is thus finished. Many a doll can form a set of dramatic characters put in copper plate, tapping and dancing in the plate as a result of the bounce of bristle. Therefore, it is also called "Copper Plate Doll" or "A Good Show in the Plate".
