Today I want to share something about this book.
In fact, Jidanwawa Handmade Doll Course 《鸡蛋花花布偶课》first appeared ten years ago. Its original title was Jidanwawa Handcraft Course, and it was planned by 蟲蟲（my friend and book planner）. She once told me this was the book she was most satisfied with as a planner.
But it never became the “bestseller” we had hoped for.
From the beginning, 蟲蟲 and I both knew it would not be a typical bestseller — perhaps more like a “long-seller,” a book that quietly stays in people’s lives for a long time.
Looking back over the past ten years, it has almost become an out-of-print book. The original Jidanwawa Handcraft Course is now very hard to find.
About four years ago, a stranger left me a message on our Taobao shop. She told me she had accidentally discovered a highly rated craft book on Dangdang（a Chinese online bookstore）. Although it was an old title, she still bought it out of curiosity. After reading it, she felt as if she had found a hidden treasure — she was surprised that such a high-quality handmade book existed in China, and wrote to thank me.
At the same time, the book also met an editor who felt the same way. She came to Wuhan three times to meet me, hoping to revise and republish it into a more refined edition.
I agreed.
In the new edition, we added many small characters that people loved —
“Super Cute Chick Babies,” “Lucky Little Dog,” “Floral Piglet,” “Cat Who Loves Sunbathing,” “Patchwork Mother and Child Fish,” “Lazy Mouse and Lazy Cat,” as well as blessing-themed dolls like “Sunny Day,” “Peach Blossom,” and “Plum Jam.”
After waiting four years, what I finally hold in my hands today is this reborn hardcover edition of Jidanwawa Handmade Doll Course.
When I first opened the book, it felt like meeting an old friend again.
All the photos, words, and illustrations are printed on even more beautiful paper, but it is still the same familiar friend.
Inside: travel photos of handmade dolls.
I still remember the year of writing it — so many unforgettable memories.
That hot August, I stayed in closed focus with 蛋殼（my studio assistant）, writing the book day and night. I invited Akizuki Shigeru (秋月繁) to write the foreword.I designed bookmarks, carved seals, and planned a “doll snap-up” event inside the book. Readers and friends celebrated its birth together with me.
Every word, every image, every photograph, every doll in Handcraft Course came from eight years of focused work on something I truly loved and was good at. It was written for everyone who supported this journey.
Soon after, I announced I would take a long break, and the workshop closed.
Looking back at an old blog post titled “I don’t know how to title this”, I still feel deeply moved. I was exhausted from writing, needing rest, and I said I would take my dolls traveling.
And then…
That year, something unexpected happened in the workshop — it suddenly became a season of new life.
First, our master maker Yundan became pregnant. Then my sister-in-law as well. Grandma Jidanwawa had to go home to take care of grandchildren. Then I became pregnant with my second child. Around the same time, Eggshell got married and also became pregnant just three months after me. Chongchong, who had long wished for a baby, also received good news. Even our Beijing shop manager Dajue finally got her long-awaited treasure.
We often joked: what is more powerful than life itself being created?
During my entire pregnancy, I stayed alone in the studio, making dolls every day. When I was working on the dragon zodiac, I was already visibly pregnant. When the Year of the Dragon arrived, my second child was born.
We joked privately that maybe Handcraft Course had moved some kind of “blessing goddess.”
In the end, all of our “lucky capsule toys” turned out to be boys.
That was unexpected — shouldn’t there have been at least one gentle, skillful daughter to make dolls with us?
These years, I design only one zodiac doll per year. I enjoy this slow, focused rhythm deeply.
From the beginning of each year, I immerse myself in the animal of the next zodiac — books, museums, travels, anything can become inspiration. Sketching, testing silhouettes, refining forms, designing printed patterns, sampling, revising, producing final files, cutting fabric, sending to screen-printing factories, praying silently that everything goes smoothly, carving wooden accessories, painting lacquer, sewing finished pieces, and photographing them in beautiful places.
Then documenting the story, carving zodiac stamps, packaging, and sending them out.
Only when I receive messages of gratitude and New Year blessings does a piece truly feel complete.
After twelve years, all twelve zodiac dolls are finished. This “assignment” feels complete.
I now want to write a second book. I don’t yet know what it will become, but I know it will be very different from Doll Course.
These days, I’ve been reposting old WeChat articles from ten years ago — everything I wanted to share about this book was already recorded on Weibo back then.
I used to live like a blogger carrying dolls everywhere — photographing, editing, and writing long posts. There was no TikTok or Xiaohongshu yet. Photos were taken with heavy DSLR cameras, edited in Photoshop, and each post was thousands of words long.
Ten years have passed.
“Jidanwawa sister” has become “Jidanwawa auntie.”
One day, a male fan told me that he often stared at the pair of “sunbathing cats” at home. They reminded him of his former girlfriend, whom he met through my dolls — now she is his wife, and they have children.
Even though life is busy, when he sees those smiling cats at home, he feels a quiet sense of happiness — as if it was something he created himself.
Maybe this is also the original reason I make these dolls.
Exposed spine binding.
Inner cover features a pink foil-stamped and black illustration tutorial of Buddha’s Hand flower.
The new hardcover edition of Jidanwawa Handmade Doll Course is beautifully made — fine textured paper, gentle colors, and many thoughtful details.Here I would like to thank editor Wu Xinxia （吴新霞）and book designer Xiao Ruizhi （肖睿子）again. The sweetness and bitterness of making this book — only Eggshell and I once understood it. Now, the two of you understand it too.
And please don’t say, “Finally, the hardship is over.”
—— OVER ——
A few remaining copies of this edition have quietly returned to my studio.
They are now available here on my website.