Hairy monkeys are one of Beijing’s great folk arts. Developed from traditional Chinese herbal medicine, this art is known for its incredibly small size, exquisiteness of details, and a combined sense of real life and whimsical ideas. Consisting of only two simple materials - shed cicada skin and dried bud of magnolia, it became wildly popular with its unique, and sometimes complex designs. An art that was complete lost 60 years ago, it was brought back to life in the 1970s by a Beijing local called Cao Yijian, a creative folk artist who has developed this art to a new height over the last thirty years. When in Beijing, go on a Beijing city tour with a Beijing tour guide to discover unique hair monkeys in the amazing local shops.

Hairy monkeys are as bizarre and unique as they are beautiful and delicate on a closer look. Art lovers are usually amazed by how a cicada’s skill can be broken into parts that fit nicely in a dried flower bud to create lifelike figures with a unique spirit of their own.

Though differing in their designs, most works are created based on people in real life. Ever since the beginning, this art was developed with an emphasis on imitating real people and giving them an air of mockery. Monkey bear close resemblance to humans, and hair monkeys are able to make humans look incredibly funny.

Hair monkeys are an invention of the late Qing dynasty. It is said that there was a drug store called “South Qinren Hall” on an old street in Beijing. One day a sales clerk working there was scolded by the shop owner, and felt very angry. That night, when playing with some Chinese medicine, the clerk suddenly had a great idea: parts of cicada’s skin could be placed on magnolia buds to create interesting monkey-like figures. So he made a funny-looking monkey figure to mock the shop owner. The shop owner discovered this, and instead of feeling angry, he was amazed by how special it was, and decided to start selling such monkeys in his shop. Later he made a lot of money from the sales of this new artwork.

According to Cao Yijian, the Beijing folk artist who re-invented hairy monkey after decades of disappearance, the key to making an excellent work is being creative. In the last 30 years after reviving this art, Cao has created a great number of exquisite monkeys that are not only creative, but also reminiscent of the old Beijing and its old way of life so famous many years ago.

There are a few fantastic shops in Beijing that offer unique hairy monkeys made by the great local folk artists. To find these shops and buy some excellent items for yourself, you need a personal shopping assistant who specializes in Beijing’s local business.