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Shadow Puppetry

Ⅳ-91Traditional OperaGaizhou, LiaoningBatch 2 (2008)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

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 Shiwu, 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. It originated in the late Ming and early Qing and reached its perfection between the late Qing and early Republic.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

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. Gaizhou shadow puppetry, also called “southern Liaoning shadow puppetry”, circulates in Xiuyan, Haicheng, Dashiqiao, Wafangdian and Zhuanghe in the Gaizhou area of Liaoning. Gaizhou artists use donkey hide as their material, scraping it thin to transparency and carving figures to make exquisite, distinctively modelled shadow images. Its singing is plaintive and pleasing, clearly carrying the flavour of southern Liaoning folk song; its lyrics are well-formed and its style natural and fluent, singing and recitation mostly using the local folk speech of Gaizhou, showing a humorous style. Its accompanying band is complete in civil and martial sections, the principal instrument being the locally invented wutong sihu. Its roles are divided into sheng, dan, jing, ran and chou, its performance lively and full of local character. Gaizhou shadow puppetry contains a great deal of historical and cultural information, and its distinctive modelling craft and unadulterated southern Liaoning folk singing are of important value for the study of folk art. Gaizhou shadow puppetry, also called “southern Liaoning shadow puppetry”, circulates in Xiuyan, Haicheng, Dashiqiao, Wafangdian and Zhuanghe in the Gaizhou area of Liaoning. Gaizhou artists use donkey hide as their material, scraping it thin to transparency and carving figures to make exquisite, distinctively modelled shadow images. Its singing is plaintive and pleasing, clearly carrying the flavour of southern Liaoning folk song; its lyrics are well-formed and its style natural and fluent, singing and recitation mostly using the local folk speech of Gaizhou, showing a humorous style. Its accompanying band is complete in civil and martial sections, the principal instrument being the locally invented wutong sihu. Its roles are divided into sheng, dan, jing, ran and chou, its performance lively and full of local character; one man at the front both operates the figures and sings, while the musicians behind divide the civil and martial sections. Gaizhou shadow puppetry contains a great deal of historical and cultural information, and its distinctive modelling craft and unadulterated southern Liaoning folk singing are of important value for the study of folk art.

The Wutong Sihu (Gaizhou's Own Lead Instrument)

Gaizhou shadow puppetry's accompanying band is complete in civil and martial sections, its principal instrument being the locally invented wutong sihu.

The Donkey-Hide Figure Carving Craft

Gaizhou artists use donkey hide, scraping it thin to transparency before carving figures, making exquisite and distinctively modelled shadow images.

Southern Liaoning Folk Singing (Sheng, Dan, Jing, Ran and Chou)

Gaizhou shadow puppetry's roles are divided into sheng, dan, jing, ran and chou, its plaintive and pleasing singing clearly carrying the flavour of southern Liaoning folk song.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Gaizhou shadow puppetry, also called “southern Liaoning shadow puppetry”, circulates in Xiuyan, Haicheng, Dashiqiao, Wafangdian and Zhuanghe in the Gaizhou area of Liaoning; the Gaizhou City Culture and Tourism Development Service Centre is responsible for the project's protection.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Lin Shimin (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): female, Han, born in January 1960 in Gaiping county, Liaoning, a performing artist of Gaizhou shadow puppetry. Fond of shadow puppetry from childhood, she joined the Sansheng shadow troupe at thirteen and at eighteen took the famous Gaixian (now Gaizhou city) shadow artist Wang Shengtai as her master, learning the sheng and dan roles; in 1987 she became head of the Sansheng shadow troupe, fully and skillfully mastering figure operation, singing and carving and gradually forming a fine and plaintive performing style. In 1993 she and others jointly raised funds to found the Gaizhou City Folk Shadow Art Troupe, active in the towns and countryside of Gaizhou all year round. She is a representative inheritor of shadow puppetry (Gaizhou shadow puppetry) in the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects, has taken an active part in compiling the Liaoning volume of the Annals of Chinese Xiqu, trained many transmitters and taken part in many intangible-heritage showcases, publicity and international academic exchanges, winning many important awards.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

  1. Shadow Puppetry (Gaizhou, Liaoning) · China ICH Official Project Archive
  2. Lin Shimin · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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