Daixian dough figurines are a kind of artwork with a strong local flavor and are made of steamed flour. It is said that it is related to the custom of making "Cold Food Swallows" to commemorate Jie Zitui. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Daixian dough figurines were very popular and became a must-have for local people during weddings, funerals, festivals, sacrifices and prayers. The production of Daixian dough figurines is generally divided into seven steps: kneading dough, fermenting dough, adding alkali, making, steaming, coloring, and preservation. Daixian dough figurines are diverse in form and rich in content: during the Spring Festival, people make offerings in various shapes such as jujube mountains, flower cakes, Buddha's hands, and pomegranates to thank the heavens and the earth, and to worship the Kitchen God and ancestors; during the Qingming Festival, they make "Cold Swallows", which are no larger than an inch, dotted and inserted on tree branches; on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, there is a folk custom of steaming dough figurines; on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, they steam flower cakes with jade rabbits and Chang'e on them. When the moon is full, they are offered in the yard to express people's good wishes for a good life; on the wedding day, the man steams pomegranate buns filled with longans, lotus seeds, walnuts, and dates, which symbolize happiness and happiness. The woman's family steams a box of twelve zodiac animals and a steamed bun with rice and eggs, which means a perfect married life with many children and blessings. When the baby is one month old, the grandmother steams two nipple buns. The buns are made in the shape of nipples and filled with sugar, which means plenty of milk. There are seven small dough figures (five boys and two girls) on top, which means "reunion of five boys, two girls and seven children". When the baby is one year old, they steam a bun with the meaning of "peace and prosperity every year". When the baby is twelve years old, they steam a steamed bun with a lock, which is believed to be a threshold for children to enter adulthood, which means "opening up and gaining wisdom", etc. Daixian dough figurines follow the seasons and customs, and naturally become an important part of folk culture. It not only enriches folk activities and meets people's spiritual and material needs, but also develops folk dough figurine art that is adapted to folk life and gives it specific cultural connotations and meanings. Source: General Office of Shanxi Provincial Government Source: General Office of Shanxi Provincial Government