Baigou Town is a sub-county-level town under Gaobeidian City. It is located in the hinterland of the Beijing-Tianjin-Baoding triangle, at the junction of Gaobeidian, Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Dingxing counties. Baigou clay sculpture, commonly known as Baigou clay doll, has a history of more than 300 years. It originated in Beiliu Village in the west of the town and started during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. From a minor skill for a few families to a popular special handicraft, by the end of the Qing Dynasty, Baigou had developed into a clay figurine town in the north. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, almost every family in Baigou's Nanliu Village, Beiliu Village, Luluba Village and other villages made this their business. The dry stone bridge section of Guzhen Street gradually formed a unique clay figurine market, and the products were sold to North China and Northeast China. The production of clay figurines requires high craftsmanship. The clay is generally selected to be sticky and delicate. After beating, throwing and kneading, sometimes cotton wool, paper or honey is added. The molding process is divided into four steps: making a mold, turning the mold, removing the body and coloring. Baigou clay sculptures are known as "three parts sculpture, seven parts color". Whether it is a clay rooster or a clay figurine, all are made of white powder as the base, and painted with various colors. The color focuses on large-scale rendering, and the blank space is appropriately reserved. After coloring, the decoration is outlined with ink lines and the face is opened. Baigou clay figurines are simple in shape and bright in color. They are mainly characterized by simplicity, generosity, and festive joy. The themes of expression are extremely wide, among which clay dolls and "plays" are the most typical. For example, "Liang Zhu", "The Fairy Couple", "Su San's Release", etc. for two people, "The Legend of the White Snake", "Three Visits to the Palace", "The Three Brothers of Peach Garden", etc. for three people. Most of the characters are taken from Hebei Bangzi operas. Whether two or three people, they are all from the same mold, forming a "conjoined style". There is no gap between the characters, which is convenient for turning the mold and ensuring the strength of the clay body. According to the investigation, there are only two craftsmen who make clay dolls now: Li Jinpo from Luluba Village and 38-year-old Hu Qiuying from Nanliu Village (daughter of Hu Daxue). Moreover, they do it on a small scale and intermittently, not wholeheartedly. The production of Baigou clay toys has dropped sharply, and many famous varieties have disappeared. Information source: Hebei Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center Information source: Hebei Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center