Gaomi, with a prosperous folk culture, was named ��Hometown of Chinese Folk Art�� by the Ministry of Culture. Its �� three treasures of folk art��, namely, flapping gray pictures, clay sculpture and Chinese paper-cut, have been among the national intangible cultural heritage list. They are interesting and very popular in China.

Flapping Clay Picture

Flapping clay picture is a traditional folk painting with long history in China. It only exists in Gaomi county, Shandong province, China. Flapping clay picture have existed for more than five hundred years. The earliest flapping clay pictures appeared in Chenghua Period of Ming dynasty and became popular in Qing dynasty. This kind of picture is based on traditional Chinese painting. It was innovated by a Wang family. Flapping clay pictures are mostly themed on ancient ladies, chubby babies, dramatic figures, fairy tales, mountains, rivers and flowers. They are of happy atmosphere and very proper for festival, therefore they gain wide popularity in China. On May, 20, 2006, flapping clay picture was collected on the first national intangible cultural heritage list.

Clay Roaring Tiger

Clay roaring tiger is the representative of national intangible cultural heritages. The roaring tiger is purely hand-made and of high quality. The clay used is strictly selected in Gaomi City, Shandong Province, for the clay there is in high viscosity and will not chap when the mould is dried by sun. Artisans use white color as background and draw lines and then add color to it. The forequarters and the hindquarters are connected by sheep skin and when squeezed, it could issue roaring voice. Through efforts for generations, clay roaring tigers have been standardized, though they are all hand-made. They look cute and exactly the same, with the same open mouth and funny roaring voice.

Chinese Paper-cut

Chinese paper-cuts of Gaomi have various subjects, for instance, flowers, insects, fish, birds, animals, etc. Most of the subjects come from folk tales, fairy tales and dramas. They are simple but exaggerated, rough but artistic, plain but ingenious, which contradiction reflects the unique taste of Chinese nation. Gaomi county was awarded as ��Artistic Hometown of Paper-cutting�� in 1994. Chinese paper cuts from Gaomi won popularity both at home and abroad(more than 20 countries, such as Japan, America, Canada, etc.) and were collected by worldwide fans of folk art.