Yan Zubin

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Yan Zubin, Male, Han, from Qianjiang, Hubei, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Shadow Puppetry (Ⅳ-91). The tradition is documented in Qianjiang, Hubei. Within the regional tradition and school record of Shadow Puppetry in Qianjiang, Hubei: Jianghan plain shadow puppetry refers to the shadow puppetry with the same artistic features popular in the central and southern part of Hubei, in such counties and cities as Qianjiang, Tianmen, Mianyang (now Xiantao), Jianli, Honghu, Shishou, Jiangling, Gong'an and Jingshan; the Jianghan plain, backed by the Yangtze and threaded by the Han river, is one of the birthplaces of Jing-Chu culture, where the genre found soil to grow and flourish. The time of shadow puppetry's formation is not yet determined, but according to Meng Yuanlao's Dongjing Menghua Lu of the Southern Song it had matured and flourished by the Song at the latest, and among the shadow artists of the Bianliang pleasure quarters there were already nine men such as Dong Shiwo, Zhao Qi and Cao Baoyi. Through the Song, Jin, Yuan and Ming dynasties shadow puppetry, spread across the whole country, presented a flourishing scene in the Qing. The carving art of Jianghan plain shadow puppetry derives from the “Tang style” and “Guo style” of Qianjiang, being especially noted for fine patterns, rounded and expansive lines, lifelike and vivid figures and large figures, forming a distinctive artistic style. The “cock-crow tune” in geqiang shadow puppetry derives from the Chu state's “Songs of Chu on All Sides” of the Eastern Zhou, and is a “living fossil” of China's traditional music.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Yan Zubin is anchored in the documented technical standards of Shadow Puppetry in Qianjiang, Hubei. Within the documented technical tradition of Shadow Puppetry in Qianjiang, Hubei: Shadow puppetry is an operatic form that cuts figures from hide or cardboard and tells stories by projecting the cut figures in lamplight. Its distribution is extremely wide, covering almost every province and region, and different local vocal styles have produced a great variety of shadow puppetry—Huaxian, Huayin laoqiang, Agong qiang and Xianban qiang shadow puppetry in Shaanxi; Huanxian daoqing shadow puppetry in Gansu; Xiaoyi wanwan qiang shadow puppetry in Shanxi; Tangshan and Jinan shadow puppetry in Hebei; Haining shadow puppetry in Zhejiang; Jianghan plain shadow puppetry in Hubei; Lufeng shadow puppetry in Guangdong; and Fuzhou and Lingyuan shadow puppetry in Liaoning. In the Wenshu hall of Yanshan temple, Fanshi, Shanxi, a Jin-dynasty mural “Picture of Shadow Play” vividly shows shadow performance in Shanxi at the time. Though there are many kinds, they differ mainly in vocal style and repertory, while figure-making and performance technique are broadly similar. Figures are generally made by scraping the hair and blood from oxhide, donkey hide or sheepskin, processing it to semi-transparency and then carving and colouring it, stressing fine knife-work and lifelike modelling. A figure is divided into head, body and four limbs, all in profile, the head with helmet or cap, the body and limbs dressed, baked and pressed flat over a firebrick after oil colouring. In performance the head is inserted into the body, the body joined to the limbs, and three bamboo rods fixed to the body and two hands for operation. Besides the characters, stage props, tables and chairs and scenery must be carved. The main prop is the screen, popularly “liangzi”, generally three feet high and five wide, at most four by six, with white paper as the backdrop for single-person operation, and next an oil lamp to project the figures and their movements. Jianghan plain shadow puppetry refers to the shadow puppetry with the same artistic features popular in Qianjiang, Tianmen, Mianyang (now Xiantao city), Jianli, Honghu, Shishou, Jiangling, Gong'an and Jingshan in the central and southern part of Hubei. The Jianghan plain, backed by the Yangtze to the north and threaded by the Han river to the south, is one of the birthplaces of Jing-Chu culture, where shadow puppetry found soil to grow and flourish. Though its origin cannot yet be traced, as early as the late Ming and early Qing this area had the habit of singing shadow puppetry whenever god-thanking assemblies were held or festivals came, and over time a distinctive style and carving character formed. Its core area centres on the Tianmen, Qianjiang and Mianyang region, its notable artistic features lying mainly in carving (modelling) art, singing art and oral literary art. Its singing is based on geqiang and yugu qiang. The yugu qiang came from the begging songs of old-time artists, with varied modes and a rich rustic flavour. Jianghan plain shadow puppetry performs more than three hundred plays. These “scripts” are in fact only outlines of the play, the performance relying entirely on the artists to develop the plot and portray the characters from historical story, with singing, acting, recitation and martial skills fused as one—its oral literary art being another principal feature. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Geqiang and Yugu Qiang": The singing of Jianghan plain shadow puppetry is based on geqiang and yugu qiang; the yugu qiang came from the begging songs of old-time artists, with varied modes and a rich rustic flavour. "The Cock-Crow Tune (Derived from Songs of Chu on All Sides)": The “cock-crow tune” in geqiang shadow puppetry derives from the Chu state's Songs of Chu on All Sides of the Eastern Zhou and is a “living fossil” of China's traditional music. "More Than Three Hundred Plays (In Oral Literary Form)": Jianghan plain shadow puppetry performs more than three hundred plays; the so-called “scripts” are only outlines, the performance relying on the artists to develop plot and characters from historical story.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Yan Zubin was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Shadow Puppetry, with Qianjiang, Hubei as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Shadow Puppetry in Qianjiang, Hubei: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Qianjiang, Hubei as its declared area, and Qianjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Yanzubin (Qianjiang, Hubei) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Yanzubin · China ICH Official Archive