This is a RARE, Hard-To-Find, VINTAGE, EXCELLENT Condition "Stuffed Cloth Chinese Boy Doll Wearing Green Silk Pajama Pants and Shirt" handmade in Hong Kong in the early-1950s. My friend's Uncle was in the service and purchased this HANDSOME Doll for his wife while he was in Hong Kong in 1953. Displayed as part of a doll collection inside a glass case for 40 years, it was packed away in the early-1990s; it has been safely and securely stored for over 20 years. It looks like the dolls designed and created by missionary Ada Lum. He stands approximately 5 inches tall from the soles of his feet to the top of his head; the top knot hair style adds another 1 inch to his height for a total approximate height of 6 inches.
This hard-stuffed Cloth Doll is made from fine cotton with well made, detailed green silk clothing with red and white trim, black cotton yard hair and a detailed embroidered face. Fully clothed, this Boy Doll still has his Original Shoes but the trim at the top needs to be tacked down. His two piece pants and shirt pajama style outfit is made from sea foam green silk with red-and-white bric-a-brac around the edges, wrists and pants hem; his shoes are sewn on and made of the same green silk cloth with burlap soles.
Although most Ada Lum dolls had sewn on ears, this Doll has embroidered ears. His arms have seam joints at the shoulders which allows the arms to move outward; the legs are jointed in the same way so he can bend forward to sit. With separation at the thumb, this doll looks like those produced for sale thru Ada Lum who was a missionary in China from the 1940s through the 1960s. Chinese refugees who fled to Hong Kong from mainland China prior to the Communist takeover were afforded work by Ada Lum under whose auspices they were taught to sew and make a series of Chinese dolls which were given as gifts to visiting diplomats and also sold in the tourist markets. This Doll has the design features which were standard in the production of Ada Lum's dolls, except for the embroidered ears. The embroidered eyes have the unusual slant her dolls were known for and the hands are made with separated thumbs; both of which were hallmarks of her designs. However, there were similar cloth dolls produced during the same time so it's possible it was made by someone who trained under Ada Lum but went off and produced dolls on their own.
With his Clothing Costume fully intact, he is a WONDERFUL example of Chinese dress and culture prior to the Communist government takeover, when everything changed under Chairman Mao. Impeccably crafted, he is looking for a new home.