Three years ago, he received an order from Longping Rice Museum, which intended to include 60 rice-themed dishes - glutinous rice, popcorn, congee, rice balls, steamed buns, wonton noodles... He had spent 8 months straight working on the order. 

  

Lets now listen to the stories behind those lifelike Qiuse crafts.

  

   

Located on the east bank of Liuyang River in Furong District, Changsha, Longping Rice Museum is the worlds first large-scale rice-themed museum. "Father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping had been a huge part in its building and used to be the honorary curator of the museum. Divided into three display areas (listed as below), the museum elaborates on the production, development and influence of hybrid rice, as well as farming culture and latest technologies in China. 

   

  

"Dreams Come True - Yuan Longping and Hybrid Rice Exhibition";

"Rice through the Years - Chinese Rice History and Culture Exhibition";

"A Fantastic Journey - The Life of Rice Exhibition". 

(《梦想成真——袁隆平与杂交水稻陈列》;

《稻米香万年——中国水稻历史文化陈列》;

《奇异的旅程——水稻的一生陈列》)

   

"Weve never made rice before. It was really the hardest. Each grain of rice is small, for one thing, and we had to try out the closest colors. We also needed to make considerations on how soft it should be and how we stack it." He Xin, his daughter He Yaxin and his apprentice Liang Fengying recalled hitting the market multiple times for all kinds of rice. They cooked them, added paints and made them into molds.

  

  

"Whether a mold looks lifelike or not largely depends on texture and color." He spoke about the challenges when making Qiuse dishes, "As for every piece we make, we are in fact looking for a perfect match. We need to try different materials to see if they work." For instance, the wonton skin is translucent. For that, they considered mixing glue and wax; but for the exact formula, it can only be figured out after times of try-outs.

  

 

These simulated "rice-made" dishes was featured on "A Fantastic Journey - The Life of Rice Exhibition". The moment people see these Qiuse artworks from Foshan, they are always stunned by how real they look!

  

Reportedly, since its opening in 2019, the museum has welcomed more than 300 thousand tourists. 

  

  

Author | Jersey

Revisor | Ivy, Jessica

Photo | Foshan Daily, Longping Rice Museum