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Shadow Puppetry

Ⅳ-91Traditional OperaHengshan, HunanBatch 2 (2008)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Hunan shadow puppetry has several hundred traditional plays; the Hunan Provincial Marionette and Shadow Puppet Art Theatre, founded in the 1950s, carries on its artistic tradition, and over more than half a century has created and staged many excellent plays winning major awards at home and abroad, among which The Tortoise and the Crane and Two Friends are much praised and have become repertory pieces. Drawing on research into Hunan shadow puppetry, the shadow puppetry around Hengshan was introduced from Changsha and Xiangtan in the late Qing and early Republic and long performed at village temple fairs and vow fulfilments; after the 1950s it grew from amateur troupes into semi-professional performance, its scripts and singing mostly following the Hunan shadow tradition.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Hunan shadow puppetry has a long history and is widely found across Hunan. Its figures are mostly “paper puppets”; in modelling it absorbs the essence of such folk arts as paper-cutting, painting and carving, its carving technique rich, combining solid and void, complexity and simplicity, with beautiful and wonderfully lifelike modelling. Its performance is fine and expressive with strong movement. Hengshan shadow puppetry is noted for its “paper puppet” figures, made of head, body and limbs joined together, the joints controlled by fine bamboo slips in operation, their movements nimble and apt for martial and animal plays; its singing follows the tunes of Hunan shadow puppetry and its recitation uses the Hengshan dialect. Its scripts were mostly copied between the late Qing and early Republic and kept in the same trunk as the figures, providing material evidence for studying the evolution of Hunan shadow figure modelling.

The Tortoise and the Crane

An excellent play of Hunan shadow puppetry, much praised and a repertory piece.

Two Friends

An excellent play of Hunan shadow puppetry, much praised and a repertory piece.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Hunan shadow puppetry (Hengshan) circulates in Hengshan county and the central Hunan area, its singing and figure operation keeping the traditional aspect of Hunan shadow puppetry; the Hengshan county cultural centre is responsible for the project's protection and transmission.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Hunan shadow puppetry (Hengshan) is noted for its “paper puppet” figures and its fine and expressive performance, with a complete range of roles and a rich repertory; it is an important example for studying the modelling and performance art of Hunan folk shadow puppetry, and the locality sustains the art through troupe performance, recording and collation and teaching activities, attending also to preserving the figure-making craft and the orally transmitted repertory. Its “paper puppet” figures and fine performance also provide an example for studying the spread of Hunan shadow puppetry in central Hunan.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

  1. Shadow Puppetry (Hengshan, Hunan) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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