Sugar painting is making a comeback at Walt Disney World at EPCOT’s China Pavilion. It was last offered in 2019 during the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.
About Sugar Painting
Sugar painting is a form of traditional Chinese folk art and sugar confectionery, using hot, liquid sugar to create two-dimensional objects on a marble or metal surface. Melted sugar is carried by a small ladle made of bronze or copper. After it cools, it will be stuck to a bamboo stick and removed using a spatula. Three-dimensional objects can be created by laying solidified sugar. It is also celebrated for its beauty and history.
It is believed that sugar painting may have originated during the Ming dynasty when aristocratic families or government officials molded small animals made of sugar for religious rituals. This art form then became popular. After that period, as techniques improved, Chinese folk artists combined the molded sugar with other arts, like shadow play and paper cutting, to create a more diverse range of patterns.
The art of sugar painting is a four-step process. It includes boiling down syrup, painting on a plane, sticking to a stick, and removing from the plane. If a three-dimensional figure is created, layers of pre-made two-dimensional sugar painting are used. Techniques may vary, but normally the hot sugar is drizzled from a small ladle onto a flat surface, usually white marble or metal. The outline is produced with a relatively thick stream of sugar. Then, supporting strands of thinner sugar are placed to attach to the outline and fill in the body of the figure. These supporting strands may be produced with swirls, zig-zags, or other patterns. Finally, when completed, a thin wooden stick, used to hold the figure, is attached in two or more places with more sugar. Then, while still warm and pliable, the figure is removed from the surface using a spatula-like tool and is sold to the waiting customer or placed on display.
Bing Bing at the China Pavilion
You can see artisan Bing Bing at the China Pavilion at EPCOT on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday now through April 18 from 11 am to 7:30 pm. This pavilion is also where Reflections of China can be enjoyed, along with its air conditioning.
What do you think of the art form of sugar painting? Have you ever seen sugar painting in person? Let us know in the comments.
