Located in Ancient Culture Street in Nankai District is a craftsman's shop best known for its fine specimens of clay figurines.
As early as in the Qing Dynasty,
Tianjin had already established it self as a place well known for its clay figurines. Particularly, Zhang's Painted Clay Figurines, a school of figurine-making in its own right, has contributed greatly to this reputation. The brilliant workmanship as shown in the clay figurines has long been so widely recognised that Zhang's Painted Clay Figurines has become a household name that stands for the Zhang remarkable styleof figurine-making. Its founder, Zhang Mingshan, learned the trade in early childhood
from his father, and elevated clay figurine making from a mere skill to a form of art.
Thereafter, the craft has been handed down through generations of Zhang's family. Yet in every generation there has been a propensity added to the development of Zhang's figurine making tradition.
Today, Zhang Naiying, the fifth-generation of the Zhang family, has carried out the tradition, The Zhang's Clay Figurine Shop in the Ancient Culture Street draws clients like a magnet.
