Expat finds his '18-year-old self' through Chinese dough figurine art

In Ancient City of Wuhu, a historical and cultural block in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Alvaro Lago from Spain tried dough figurine art—an intangible cultural heritage.

He asked Wang Jingyang, a dough figurine artist, to make a miniature of himself based on a photo. In less than 30 minutes, the figurine was complete. Alvaro smiled: "It feels like seeing my 18-year-old self."

Wang, a cultural tourism ambassador of Wuhu with nearly 40 years of experience, went viral on social media for recreating famous cartoon characters. He works without molds—each figurine is one of a kind.

Dough figurine art, or dough modeling, dates back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) and was inscribed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.