“这手艺堪比女娲！”Traditional myths provide inspiration for culinary delights as cakes take on a legendary status. At traditional Chinese markets, tangren (sugar people) are a popular draw, as they make for an entertaining treat for children and adults alike.
Name practically any animal or famous fictional character and, with great ease, the folk artisans will mold maltose syrup into a figure that can be easily held and eaten off a stick. With deft handiwork, vendors seem to bring the molten bronze liquid to life, as they shape it into a mouthwatering piece of art.
In the past five years, however, patissier Zhou Yi has been taking the concept to the next level, combining fondant cake-making skills with Chinese dough-sculpting techniques to create elaborate edible figurines of the country's historical or mythical characters.
美人妙目流转
头饰华美、水袖重叠
身旁宫灯明亮
背后屏风花鸟呼之欲出
这件名为《武则天》的作品
曾在2017年的英国国际蛋糕比赛
中拿到最高奖
制作者周毅成为第一个
获此殊荣的中国人
周毅还带领团队
获得了3金2铜的好成绩
图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
In 2017, he took his fondant team to Cake International, an annual cake show and competition that is held in the United Kingdom, and won three gold awards and two bronze awards.
His own fondant creation, a piece depicting Wu Zetian, an empress from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), won a gold award and was named the "international best in show".
"I was doing fairly well in China, but I didn't know much about the international scene. I really just hoped to learn something from other patissiers," Zhou says.
在该届比赛上
他的另一组作品《醉卧忘忧境》
是评委们公认最完美的
可因其中有拉糖做的湖水
太厚不能切开导致了违规
但评委们一致认为
这件作品已经超出了比赛水准
为了不让它淘汰而为其改换了组别
“忘忧美人”最终获得了铜奖
图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
He tells one anecdote about his entry that portrayed a girl dressed in hanfu (a traditional style of Chinese attire), leaning on a piece of rock in a lake. For the piece, he used pulled sugar to portray the water, which was too thick to cut through, disqualifying it from the category it was initially submitted to.
However, the judges thought the cake was a wonderful piece and made an exception, transferring the entry to the "decorative exhibit" category, where it won Zhou a bronze.
2018年
周毅摘得了被誉为
“蛋糕界的奥斯卡奖”蛋糕大师组织
评选的双料冠军：
国际人偶蛋糕最高奖
和年度国际翻糖蛋糕设计
全场最高艺术家奖
2019年
周毅再次率队参加
世界翻糖蛋糕大赛
并凭着《嫦娥》《白蛇传说》
《梁祝化蝶》和《人鱼公主》
斩获四项金奖
图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
Zhou and his team returned to Cake International in 2019, breaking their previous record and claiming a total of four gold awards.
高超的翻糖技艺
加之在世界大赛取得的诸多荣誉
让周毅成为名副其实的
“中国翻糖第一人”
而这身本领其实最初是以
中国的非遗项目“面塑”为起点
1983年出生的周毅是四川人
进入四川旅游学院烹饪系学习后
他师从四川省工艺美术大师
传统非遗技艺面塑传承人王龙
为了掌握面塑技艺
周毅在很长一段时间里
每天只睡2小时左右
在他的眼中这些
是可以传递他创意的材质
周毅制作的国风翻糖作品《幻鳐飞羽》。图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
"I don't think cakes are just for eating. They are also a medium that is able to carry many creative ideas. The cultural heritage of Chinese civilization over the millennia can take on new and vibrant forms on a small piece of cake," Zhou says.
The 40-year-old learned Chinese cooking techniques at the Sichuan Tourism University in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
There he got to know about the country's food history and culture, in particular the techniques used in folk cuisine, as well as mastering food science, which allows him to develop new recipes.
Wishing to master an area of expertise in order to support himself after graduation, he chose to focus on the folk skill of dough sculpture — the making of vivid three-dimensional models of plants, animals and human figures using dough as a raw material.
勤学苦练让周毅本领大涨
有了一些基础后他开始
在社交平台上进行分享
2017年
周毅接到了一个订单
希望将面塑人物做成翻糖蛋糕
这为他开启了新世界的大门
经过查找大量资料
周毅发现翻糖与面塑有着很多共同点
而且翻糖具有强大的可塑性
资料显示
翻糖（音译自fondant）蛋糕
起源于18世纪的西方
与奶油蛋糕相比
它同样可食用
不过保存的时间更长
周毅制作的国风翻糖作品《九尾》。图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
As pictures of his figurines attracted followers online, a client commissioned him to make a figurine of her favorite character, but requested that it be made using fondant, a material he had never worked with before.
With an innate curiosity for anything related to food science, Zhou started researching the features of fondant, as well as its history, and found it peculiar that there were no original Chinese designs or cultural elements in fondant cakes.
"I felt that although fondant is a Western technique, sugar is something that is enjoyed by people of all nationalities. Since I was considerably skilled in dough sculpting, I thought I could also make fondant cakes that present Chinese culture," Zhou says.
当时的周毅想
虽然中国的翻糖工艺和产业
还没发展成熟
但糖本身是没有国界的
他有传统面塑手艺的基本功
何不用中国人的思维方式
去做一些属于自己的IP形象？
就这样他开始在翻糖中
加入中国元素
让传统的面塑手艺结合新的材料
找到一个新的具象化媒介
吸引更多人注意
甚至火到了全世界
周毅的网名是“SK糖王周毅”
本意是以糖王（SUGAR KING）
作为自己的奋斗目标
后来随着他的国风翻糖
获得越来越多的认可
大家都亲切地称呼他为“糖王”
周毅以《水浒传》中卢俊义为主题制作的翻糖作品。图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
周毅以《西游记》中孙悟空为主题制作的翻糖作品。图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
Over the years, he has continued to hone his fondant-shaping skills while tapping Chinese cultural elements for inspiration, creating works ranging from fondant replicas of archaeological artifacts to elaborate scenes that depict cultural traditions.
His most popular works, though, are the detailed and exquisite portraiture of fictional characters that allow him to exert his imagination and creativity.
"I am fascinated by traditional Chinese culture, such as hanfu, ornaments, artifacts and stories. We have so many original characters and stories, but not enough people to elaborate on these characters to make them vivid and memorable," Zhou says.
"This is a passion of mine and something I'll keep working on, with the hope of introducing these Chinese cultural elements to more people through aesthetically pleasing works."
近年来
周毅不断在各大短视频平台
分享自己的作品
累计收获了数百万粉丝
除了在翻糖中
体现中国传统文化
他还很注重翻糖的创新和发展
尤其是与不同潮流、文化的交融
周毅制作的高达3米的“美人鱼”主题翻糖作品。图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
周毅制作的机甲风翻糖作品。图源：抖音@SK糖王周毅
Zhou continues to refine his skills and perfect his recipes, producing fondant cakes that are both exquisite and appetizing.
When looking back at the works he produced several years ago, even the award-winning ones, he feels like he has made progress in terms of his skill and representation of Chinese culture.
"Innovation is a process of constantly learning. I plan to keep a close eye on Chinese history and culture, and also to exchange with the cultures of other countries and regions, so as to present Chinese traditional culture in the most innovative ways I can," Zhou adds.
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