The development of the modern toy industry in China has had an effect on kids' toys today, although traditional folk toys continue to play a major role in contemporary Chinese culture. As China continues to grow and develop, traditional folk toys are still flourishing. Toys represent the fundamental ideas, desires, and concerns that are central to both the lives of Chinese people and Chinese culture.

Chinese folk toys enjoy a history as old as the nation itself. Revealing aspects of the land and its rich cultural heritage, they portray the wisdom and creativity of folk artists throughout China. Many practical, instructive and artistic folk toys are favored by children and adults alike. Furthermore, these toys serve as a means for Chinese people to express their hopes and desires, as well as affection towards their children. Infused with a multitude of meanings -- from the instructive to the decorative -- Chinese folk toys bring beauty and art into ordinary lives.

   Playing with History

Colorful glass marbles with flowers or other designs inside are quite popular among children across China. Used in a variety of games, these toys, like the children who play with them, have their own ancestral history.

Among the relics unearthed from the ruins of Banpo Village in Xi'an were some small clay and stone balls dating back to the Yangshao Culture of the Neolithic Period (4800-4300BC), which archeologists believe were children's toys. The diameter of these balls varies from 1.1-3 cm, which is too small and light to be used as bullets or other weapons. Some of the clay balls have decorative prints and scratches on them. In addition, small pottery and glazed porcelain balls from a later period (4400-3300BC) have been unearthed from the ruins of Wushan Mountain in Sichuan Province. Scholars argue that because they are more durable and decorative than the earlier clay and stone balls, they are the precursors to contemporary glass marbles.

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