Folk Toys In The Perspective Of Folklore Research

Depending on wisdom, passion and technique, generations of Chinese people create various folk toys of long standing. As the material form of folk games and sports culture, the appearance and survival of folk toys are closely linked with folk life. Folk toys root in and are part of folklore. Most of their contents and forms are restricted by folk activities and folk psychology. Their production and application are closely related to folk games and sports. In addition, as the result of folk life, they have close relation with festival customs, folk religion and regional cultures.Taking China folk toys as study subject and combining fieldwork and historical research methods, on the basis of the discussion of folk toys' history, classification and function, this thesis concretely analyses the relation between folk toys and folk life.Selecting Beijing as research place, this thesis systematizes folk toys and relevant folk life of Ming and Qing dynasty and the Republic of China (1912-1949) time in Beijing in order to delineate folk toys' cultural significance and conception hiding in their outer material forms.Firstly, this thesis systematizes the folk toys that are closely related to games and entertainment sports in Beijing and points out folk toys' function and significance in folk life.