Shadow puppet play is also called "shadow play", "lantern shadow play", "earth shadow play", and in some areas it is called "skin monkey play", "paper shadow play", etc. The drama of the story is performed by illuminating the silhouettes of characters carved from animal skins or papier-m?ché with light. The repertoire and singing styles mostly interact with local operas, and are performed by artists while singing, accompanied by music. It is a folk art with a long history and wide spread in our country. It has spread overseas and has become a world-wide art.
As for the traditional carving techniques and processes of shadow puppets, the artists summarized it in a jingle: "First carve the head cap, then the face, then carve the eyebrows, eyes, nose tip, clothing, hair, and beard, and finally put the body into place, and then carve it." Just add color and the entire production is complete."
Shadow puppets not only have use value and appreciation value, but also have high artistic value and collection value.
Introduction to Chinese Shadow Puppet Art
strong>"Shadow puppet" is a general term for the products of shadow puppet shows and shadow puppet figures (including scenes, props and scenery). Chinese shadow puppet art is a unique art variety that is a clever combination of folk arts and crafts and opera in my country. It is an indispensable and exquisite pearl in the palace of Chinese national art.
Shadow puppetry is a theatrical form that allows the audience to watch the light shadows performed by two-dimensional puppets through a white curtain to achieve artistic effects; the two-dimensional puppets and scene props and scenery in shadow puppetry are usually carved by hand and knife by folk artists. Painted leather products are called shadow puppets.
Shadow puppetry is one of the earliest types of opera in my country. Its performance equipment is light, its singing is rich and beautiful, and its performances are exciting and moving. It has been around for thousands of years and has been deeply loved by the people, so it has been widely spread. Not only that, shadow puppetry has also played a certain role in the development of culture and art at home and abroad. There are many new local opera types that are derived from the singing styles of various shadow puppet shows.
The screen performance used in Chinese shadow puppetryThe principles, as well as the performing arts methods of shadow puppetry, also played a leading role in the invention of modern movies and the development of modern film and art films. In the Western world, from Goethe in the 18th century to Chaplin and other world cultural celebrities later, they have all spoken highly of the art of Chinese shadow puppetry. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, national leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai entertained domestic and foreign guests with shadow puppet shows many times. However, after the shadow puppet art suffered the catastrophe of the "Cultural Revolution", its endangered situation has not been reversed.
As for the modeling and production of the characters and scenery in shadow puppetry, it belongs to the category of folk art in my country. Its artistic style is also unique among ethnic art gardens. In order to adapt to the shadow puppet expression form, it adopts a combination of abstraction and realism, and boldly flattens, artistically, cartoonizes, and dramatizes the characters and scenes. The facial makeup and costumes are vivid and vivid, exaggerated and humorous. Either simple and rough, or delicate and romantic. Coupled with the smooth carving, the gorgeous coloring, the transparent body and the flexible limbs, the craftsmanship is truly pleasing to the eye and hard to put down. Shadow puppets (shadow puppets for short) are not only used for shadow puppet performances, but also for everyone to play with their hands for entertainment. They can also be placed in front of a window or on a white wall as an indoor art decoration. Because shadow puppets are simple and elegant in shape, have a strong ethnic flavor, and are both artistic appreciation and collection value, many museums, collectors, art workers and shadow puppet enthusiasts at home and abroad have Chinese shadow puppets in their collections. In international exchanges, Chinese shadow puppets are often given as high-quality gifts to international friends.
The origin, development and current situation of Chinese shadow puppets
According to historical data and the actual spread of modern folk shadow puppet art, it can be inferred and confirmed that shadow puppet art originated in the Western Han Dynasty two thousand years ago, originated in Shaanxi, my country, matured in Qin, Jin and Yu during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and flourished in Hebei during the Qing Dynasty .
From the entry of the Qing Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Chinese shadow puppetry art developed into its heyday. Many shadow puppet artists inherit their fathers business and pass it down from generation to generation, with talents multiplying from person to person. No matter in terms of the modeling and production of filmmakers, film acting, singing, and popular regions, they have reached the pinnacle of history. At that time, many wealthy and powerful families, including noble families and noble families, were proud to hire famous masters to engrave their portraits, stock up on exquisitely crafted photo boxes, and maintain private photo studios. In folk villages and towns, there are shadow puppet troupes of all sizes. It is not surprising that there are twenty or thirty film studios in one township and one city. Whether it is a new year or a festival, celebrating a good harvest, praying for blessings or worshiping gods, getting married or entertaining guests, or celebrating a childs birthday, it is indispensable to set up a stage to sing and shadow. Even this play (serial) has to stay up all night or run for more than ten days and a half. In a temple fair, there may be several shadow troupes setting up a stage to compete and sing, which is very lively and the grandeur can be imagined.
Since the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century, Chinese shadow puppet art has also been introduced to Persia (Iran), Arabia, Turkey, Siam (Thailand), Myanmar, the Malay Islands, and Japan along with military expeditions and sea and land exchanges. As well as Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and other Asian and European countries.
However, the development of Chinese shadow puppet art has not been smooth sailing. It has experienced ups and downs and ups and downs. In the late Qing Dynasty, some local officials were afraid of crowds gathering in shadow puppet theaters at night, so they banned shadow puppet performances and even arrested shadow puppet artists. Shadow puppet artists were also implicated in the White Lotus Sect uprising in the late Qing Dynasty and were raided as "Xuan Deng Bandits". Before and after the Japanese invasion, due to social unrest and successive wars, the people were in dire straits. As a result, the shadow puppet industry, which was once flourishing, withered away and failed to recover.
After liberation, the remaining shadow puppet troupes and artists across the country were given a new lease of life with the care and support of the party and the government. Since 1955, it has organized shadow puppet performances at the national, provincial and municipal levels, and has repeatedly sent delegations to visit and perform abroad for cultural and artistic exchanges, which have been quite fruitful. But during the "Cultural Revolution", shadow puppet art suffered from the bad luck of "destroying the four olds". Ten years of catastrophe destroyed all the shadow puppetry that had been widely hidden among the people, and the art was passed down for generations.
After the reform and opening up, although there is a political environment for the revival of traditional culture, the endangered situation of shadow puppetry is still difficult to reverse under the impact of new technologies and popular forms of entertainment such as contemporary film, television, and audio. The only way out at present is to boldly reform and innovate on the basis of inheriting tradition, to adapt shadow puppet art to the requirements of the new era, and to bring people refreshing artistic enjoyment. Only then can shadow puppet art get out of its trough and regain its glory.
Shadow Puppet Art
1. The artistic style of shadow puppet modeling:
Shadow puppets have unique shapes and styles, so they occupy a unique place in the world of beauty. It has formed a complete set of aesthetic models suitable for the performance of shadow puppets. As for the modeling of characters, there are the following four characteristics.
(1) Flattening of character modeling:
For the design of characters, a flat image with a sideways five-point face or a seven-point face is generally adopted.
(2) Artistic character modeling:
The design adopts a combination of abstraction and realism. The costumes and faces of the characters are vivid, exaggerated, humorous, and witty and romantic. Use line hollowing method to depict the image. The colors are simple and flat. Under backlighting, the visual effect is clear and gorgeous.
(3) Cartoon character modeling:
Shadow puppet characters are generally composed of eleven parts: head, upper body, lower body, two legs, two upper arms, two lower arms and two hands. They can be manipulated by humans to perform mechanical dynamic performances. The proportions of the human body are usually such that the upper body and arms are longer to facilitate performance.
(4) Character modeling is dramatic:
The figures of the shadow puppets are designed according to the opera patterns of raw, dan, net and ugly. The stylized shapes used in facial makeup and outfits of various professions originate from stage drama but transcend it.
In addition to human figures, shadow puppets also include dragons and phoenixes, animals, flowers, trees, insects and fish, mountains and stone gates, pavilions, military tents and weapons, furnishings, vehicles, boats, sedans, cities, bridges, towers and temples, etc. The shapes are all similar to The shadow puppet characters are harmonious and all reveal the distinctive characteristics of shadow puppet art.
2. Character design of shadow puppet characters:
Due to the vast territory of our country, shadow puppet art has developed into many different schools with different styles in different regions. As far as the shapes of shadow puppet characters are concerned, regional characteristics are also very distinct. On a large scale, the two major regions of northwest and northeastern my country have each formed mature independent, complete, and systematic aesthetic models.The representative of Chinese shadow puppets. Traditional shadow puppets in northwest China, represented by Shaanxi, are characterized by delicate and beautiful figures. For Sheng and Dan, use Yang-carved empty faces. The body is slender and the lotus fingers are slender. His face has a high forehead, straight nose bridge, small red mouth, and thin eyebrows and eyes. The contours of the face are not painted. Characters' long beards and long hair are often pasted on with real hair. The soles of mens horn boots are flat in the front and turned up in the back, giving them a dynamic feel. As for the traditional shadow puppets in northeastern China, represented by Hebei, the characters are simple and rough yet elegant. The figure is thick and thick, and the fingers are stretched out and grasped, which is abstract and simple. The facial shape of the Sheng and Danyang engraved Kong faces has a 6-shaped nose reaching the sky, pointed red lips, ringed eyebrows and phoenix eyes. The outline of the face is lined with black, and it is very clear and translucent when viewed in front of the screen. The characters' long beards and long hair are also carved from leather. Except for the hair swings, which are made with black thread, real hair is generally not used. The soles of both male actors boots should be on the same level so that movement and stillness are distinct during the performance.
Shadow puppets in other regions also have different shapes, some are simple and some are more realistic.
There are countless traditional programs of shadow puppetry. In the play, there are emperors and officials, concubines and concubines, soldiers and generals, swordsmen, swordsmen, scholars, ladies, servants, village girls, women and children, Han, Manchu and Yi, gods, gods, monks, ghosts and fairies, as well as various fashions. Characters, etc., everything. The shapes of these characters are designed according to the dramatic roles of raw, dan, clean and ugly, and stylized facial makeup is used to express the characters' strength, softness, beauty and ugliness, as well as good, evil, loyalty and treachery. For example: for elegant and beautiful students and dan characters, the face shape is usually carved with Yang to show their innocence and tenderness. For characters with painted or ugly faces, incised carvings of real faces are often used to outline the various shapes and colors of the face. Sometimes you can also use a face shape that combines solid space with ground, which can make the face shape appear on the shadow window.Show greater color contrast, thereby obtaining a more prominent artistic effect. For clowns, there are also designs with three-quarter faces, which can expose the eyes, increase the room for carving the face, and expand the range of expression of the face. For example, when designing a one-eyed and blind clown, if you use a five-point face shape, it will not be possible to show that you are blind in one eye.
For arrogant and elderly characters, the real faces are often carved with shadows. But you can also use a Yang-engraved face shape, but you need to add a few facial lines on the face that can show age or arrogance.
Hairstyles, headdresses, scarves, hats and clothing are designed according to the characters profession and status, and who should wear what kind of clothes. The costumes and body shapes of shadow puppet characters are universal except for a few specific characters. As long as the headband corresponding to the identity is changed on the body, he becomes another character. At present, most of the artists who carve pictures are just copying them, and very few of them have real design talent.
3. Production of shadow puppets:
The traditional folk craft methods for making shadow puppets are as follows:
(1) Leather making: Newly slaughtered cow hide or donkey hide is the best. First soak it in water for several days, then take it out and scrape both sides of the skin clean repeatedly, then scrape it thin until it is transparent. After washing, tighten it on a wooden frame and dry it in the shade.
(2) Pattern tracing: Cut the leather into pieces, cover it with a damp cloth until soft, then polish it smooth with a hardwood pusher, and then trace the pattern with a steel needle.
(3) Carving: Place the patterned leather on a wooden board or wax board for carving. There are many carving techniques. Artists in the northwest region are good at using the carving method of pushing the skin and moving the knife, and use a variety of bladed tools for carving. In the Northeast, profile-edged tools are generally not used. After the engraving is completed, scrub it clean, flatten it and color it.
(4) Coloring: Nowadays, transparent coloring materials are commonly used to replace the traditional coloring materials in the past, which is convenient and has good light transmission effect. When coloring, five pure colors of red, yellow, cyan, green, and black are mainly used. Generally, they are not mixed with each other, but they can be divided into dark and light colors to distinguish layers, and can be painted flat or double-sided.
(5) Ironing: After the shadow puppets are colored, they are dried in the shade and ironed to make them smooth.
(6) Oiling: After the shadow puppets in the Northeast are flattened, they are also coated with a layer of tung oil or varnish to enhance transparency and durability.
(7) Stitching: Stitch the joints of the shadow figure’s hands, lower arms, upper arms, upper body, lower body and legs with threads, and then surround the upper body with a leather strip. The neck collar serves as a socket for installing the shadow figures head. Finally, a piece of iron wire is tied in front of the neck as the main pole to support the shadow figure, and a piece of iron wire is tied to each end of the hands as a playing pole. After inserting the shadow figures head, a complete shadow puppet is completed.
Shadow Puppet Art
1. Shadow puppet performance:
The equipment for performing shadow puppetry is very light, so the troupe has great advantages in mobile performances. Whether in a theater, a hall, a square, a courtyard or even an ordinary room, just put up a screen curtain and a light box to start the show. A troupe of six or seven people and a box of puppeteers can perform forty to fifty plays. After the performance, all the luggage is packed up and left. It is very convenient to move around, so shadow puppetry has been carried out since ancient times.It is a form of entertainment for the military and one of the reasons why it is widely spread and popularized among the people.
The skills and singing skills of a shadow puppet show are the key to the level of a shadow puppet show troupe. Both playing and singing are the result of masters oral instruction and long-term hard study. During the performance, the artists have the ability to use puppets, instrumental accompaniment and lyrics and singing at the same time. Some masters can control seven or eight shadow figures at the same time. The martial arts scene is intense, with the shadow figures swinging guns and swords, tumbling up and down, and it is very lively. The music and singing in Wenchang are full of melodies, beautiful and beautiful. It can be passionate or touching, joyful or sad, full of emotion and emotion, and touching the heartstrings.
Since all the vehicles, boats, sedans, strange monsters and monsters in the shadow puppet show can be played, flying into the sky and into the earth, becoming invisible and transforming, breathing smoke and spitting fire, splitting mountains and seas, can also be performed with various shadow puppet stunts and sound and light effects. , so the fantasy scenes of large-scale mythological dramas are unique, and among the hundreds of operas, shadow puppetry is the only one.
Shadow puppet performances include historical romance dramas, folklore dramas, martial arts dramas, love story dramas, mythological and fable dramas, fashion and modern dramas, etc. There are countless repertoires of excerpts, single plays and continuous plays. Common traditional plays include The Legend of the White Snake, Picking up the Jade Bracelet, Romance of the West Chamber, Qin Xianglian, The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, Generals of the Yang Family, The Legend of Yue Fei, Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, The List of Gods, etc. From the revolutionary war years to after liberation, newly developed fashion dramas, modern dramas and fairy tale fable dramas. Common dramas include Brothers and Sisters Opening up Wasteland, White-Haired Girl, Liu Hulan, Xiao Erheis Marriage, Young Son-in-law, Lin Haixueyuan, The Story of the Red Lantern, The Turtle and the Crane, Two Friends, Mr. Dong Guo and many more.
2. The genre and singing style of shadow puppetry:
Due to the wide spread of shadow puppetry in our country, during the long-term evolution process of different regions, the style and rhythm of its music and singing have absorbed the essence of their respective local operas, folk arts, folk songs, and music systems, thus forming a colorful and colorful form. of many genres. Among the various shadow puppet schools in the Qin, Shanxi and Henan areas, there are more than ten styles such as Xianban tune, Agong tune, Wanwan tune, Lao tune, Qin tune, North and South Daoqing, Ankang Yuediao, Shanglu Daoqing, blowing tune, etc. There are many types of tunes. When singing, the singing methods of harmonizing, supporting and humming are also commonly used. The drawl is melodious and melodious, which is very beautiful.
Although the singing styles of various shadow puppets in Hebei, Beijing, Northeast China, and Shandong are derived from the Laoting shadow style of Luanzhou in eastern Hebei Province, their respective singing styles are based on Peking Opera, Luozi, Dagu, Bangzi, and folk songs. Under the influence, different schools were formed. There are many smooth flat tones, gorgeous floral tones, and sad and sad tones. Among them, the choke singing method in Tangluan area is very unique.
In other places such as Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, the music and singing of shadow puppet shows also have local characteristics.
Although the shadow puppets are dancing on the white screen of the shadow puppet show, the music and singing can make people emotionally ups and downs. Joy can make people feel relaxed and happy, while sadness can make people cry and be extremely moving.
The contribution of Chinese shadow puppetry to society
Chinese shadow puppet art is a wonderful work in Chinese folk culture. Shadow puppetry is the worlds earliest form of shadow puppetry culture and entertainment. For more than a thousand years, she has brought the joy of countless festivals and harvests to the endless generations of children in the land of China, and has placed her prayers for peace and well-being and her endless yearning for the future. It has been the spiritual food for the general public throughout the ages.
In the past, there were often amateur shadow puppet theater organizations in rural areas, factories, mines, military units, government agencies, and schools, which enriched the cultural life of the masses.
The shadow puppet show invented by our ancestors is the earliest visual art that uses the principle of screen shadow to combine the performing shadow with music accompaniment and rap dubbing. It is recognized by international film history theory circles that the art of shadow puppetry was the forerunner to the later invention of film.
In contemporary film art, shadow puppetry technology also provides a new and convenient process for animation production, creating new varieties for art films. Since the first shadow puppet art film "Zhu Bajie Eats Watermelon" in 1958, more than a dozen art films have been produced that absorbed shadow puppet expression techniques.
Shadow puppetry has been an entertainment tool for the military since ancient times. During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, domestic shadow puppet artists also went to the front lines to perform condolences. During the Anti-Japanese War and the Land Reform period, many shadow puppet artists adapted to the current situation by compiling and performing new plays and became light riders to promote the revolution.
Chinese shadow puppet art also contains a lot of historical information. Scholars can study various issues such as folk customs, folk literature, folk art, folk music, clothing, food, housing and transportation in Chinese history.
Today, although people have moved away from shadow puppets, as long as we find the essence of shadow puppet art, she will still come back to us.
