Sugar sculpture, one of the Han folk handicrafts, is commonly known as sugar blower and sugar man. People engaged in this craft are called sugar blowers, which are found all over the country, especially in Tianmen, Hubei Province and mian yang (now Xiantao City). Sugar plastic is made of maltose, which is softened by heating and added with red, blue and black pigments, and dozens of different colors can be adjusted according to needs. Then, with the help of scissors, a small comb, a knife and other tools, supplemented by bamboo chips, springs, gypsum powder and other accessories, the artist performs modeling by blowing, pulling, kneading, pulling, pinching, pressing and cutting. The unique feature of Tianmen Mianyang sugar sculpture is that it is well-made, such as fish, dragon playing with pearls, unicorn giving away children, leading the way by mu, and ordering soldiers.

The ancestor of Mianyang Sugar Carving was Liu Bowen, the brain trust of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of Ming Dynasty. According to the old artists in Xiantao, there are two different legends:

One is "Liu Zhi takes poison bee array". When Zhu Yuanzhang pacified the Northeast, the local armed forces released the soldiers who were led by poison bee, and they could not attack for a long time. Unscrupulous bees in Liu Bowen like to eat sweets. They boil maltose and daub it on the scarecrow in uniform with syrup. Armed soldiers carry the scarecrow on their backs and charge ahead. When poison bee smells the sugar, he sticks down and sucks it. How can he sting people? After all, Ma Shunli arrived. Celebrate success, be a "sugar man" and reward the whole army. Three heroes against Lu Bu

The second is "Zhu Yuanzhang set fire to the meritorious building". At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Hongwu was worried that the hero would usurp the throne and future generations would lose the throne, so he built the Hero Building, pretending to entertain heroes upstairs and openly sent people to set fire to destroy it. Only Liu Bowen saw through Zhu Yuanzhang's deadly trap, pretended to escape, bought the burden of selling sugar people, and made a living by selling "sugar people models" far away from Beijing, thus gaining the sugar plastic technology. Two versions, one conclusion: Liu Bowen initiated the "sugar man model". Up to now, sugar plastic artists get together to pay homage to "Liu Zushi" every year on August 15th of the lunar calendar. Liu Bowen taught them one by one, so this craft has been widely spread and has a history of more than 600 years.