We visited the country fair in Baigou, Hebei Province and were surprised to find it just like the birthplace of the old Beijing toys. There I found the toys I had played when I was little, such as clay figurines, clay dogs, clay cats and a whole set of the 18 tiny wooden ancient weapons, Each was so beautifully made, that I just couldn't put them down. I also found the long forgotten, heat powered mechanical boat, which could chug along in a basin when lit. The little pinwheels, cloth dolls and cloth tigers were also all at the fair
This trip refreshed my memory. I remembered many toys of old Beijing: the string-pulling mouse made of hard paper, figurines made of palm fiber, clay rabbits and monkeys made of cicada's exuviae. I wondered if all these old toys could still be found.
I mobilized everyone else to find the veteran handicraftsmen who could make these toys. We paid a visit to their homes one by one and invited them to come to the BTA for a meeting. They were excited at our plan, and then showed us the toys they had made, which they had previously kept hidden for fear of criticism.
