A village named Xuan La in Hanoi where people still remain
traditional job of making To He (or toy figurine) from rice powder.
Children love the toy figurines those are made from sticky
rice powder, sugar, and food coloring. Few decades ago when there were not many
choices from buying toys in local shops, our kids feel so excited with toy
figurines as the gift given by their parents.
Figurines may be a colorful
flower, buffalo, rooster, respectful hero, pig, Aladdin, Doremon, monkey King,
pigsy, and dragon fly….
History of making figurine in Xuan La village has been over
300 years. Craft men in Xuan La often travel from village to village and cities
to sell these toys. They sit in the market or crowded areas like the lake, city
parks to create figurines and sell them right away upon the audient’s request.
Nowadays you can see them making figurines by Hoan Kiem lake
in Hanoi city at the weekend. You can join and learn how to make it instead of travel far to their village like
before. It is a beautiful aspect of authentic culture in Vietnam.