Foods have long served as a source for artistic creation. Culturally expressive and emphasizing traditional materials and culinary devices, some Chinese foods serve not only the need to eat but also the purpose of play. A good example is the sugar-molded figurine popular throughout China.

Sugar-molded toys are children's favorites. Melted sugar is poured into wooden or metal molds, which are then carved into various patterns. The most common motifs are chickens, fish, pigs, horses, lions and tigers. Candy figurines are also made without molds. In city parks, candy-making artists create various figures with a few quick strokes of a spatula. Fun to watch and eat, these figurines represent the figures and designs important to Chinese culture.