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Shadow Puppetry

Ⅳ-91Traditional OperaLangzhong, SichuanBatch 2 (2008)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Drawing on Sichuan shadow-puppetry research, Sichuan shadow puppetry consists mainly of three kinds—native shadow puppetry, Guang shadow puppetry (also called “Weinan shadow puppetry”) and Langzhong shadow puppetry—of which Langzhong shadow puppetry is the most distinctive; it was created by the family of the Langzhong folk shadow master Wang Wenkun, whose forebear combined the strengths of native and Guang shadow puppetry to create a new-style Langzhong shadow puppetry.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Sichuan shadow puppetry consists mainly of native shadow puppetry, Guang shadow puppetry (also called “Weinan shadow puppetry”) and Langzhong shadow puppetry, of which Langzhong shadow puppetry is the most distinctive. Langzhong shadow puppetry is popular in the thirty-six counties and cities of Nanchong, Guang'an and elsewhere centred on Langzhong city, covering 530,000 square kilometres. It was created by the family of the Langzhong folk shadow master Wang Wenkun, whose forebear combined the strengths of native and Guang shadow puppetry to create a new-style Langzhong shadow puppetry. Langzhong shadow making shows great skill: the carving technique is accomplished, the lines fluent and fine, the hollowing and leaving of solid well judged, the figure structure balanced and the modelling handsome, the face oval, the headdress and beard not fixed, and the costume mostly decorated with traditional patterns popular in northern Sichuan, exquisite and beautiful in appearance with a strong local character. Its singing borrows mainly the five great vocal styles of Chuanju and also draws widely on popular folk mountain songs and ditties and on Buddhist and Daoist music, embracing all and forming a system of its own.

Traditional Scripts (More Than Sixty)

The inheritors Wang Biao and Wang Fang jointly collected and collated more than sixty traditional scripts and staged fifteen new plays.

The Death of Zhang Fei

One of the newly created plays of the inheritors Wang Biao and Wang Fang.

Immortals Roam Langyuan

One of the newly created plays of the inheritors Wang Biao and Wang Fang.

Northern Sichuan Wang Shadow Puppetry (Wang Family Lineage)

Langzhong shadow puppetry was created by the Wang Wenkun family and transmitted through the generations, combining the strengths of Guang, Wei and native shadow puppetry and known as “northern Sichuan Wang shadow puppetry”.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Langzhong shadow puppetry is popular in the Nanchong and Guang'an areas centred on Langzhong city, with the Langzhong city cultural centre responsible for the project's protection and transmission.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Sichuan shadow puppetry fully reflects the customs, social life and humanistic tradition of the Sichuan region and has important value for folklore and art studies. Wang Biao (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): male, Han, born in February 1965 in Langzhong county, Sichuan. He began learning shadow performance and carving at fourteen and performed independently at seventeen, inheriting the family tradition and combining the strengths of Guang, Wei and native shadow puppetry. With the shadow artist Wang Fang he collected and collated more than sixty traditional scripts, created such new works as The Death of Zhang Fei and Immortals Roam Langyuan, and staged fifteen new plays. In 2006 he set up a shadow-puppetry transmission class, which became a training and demonstration base for the National Art Fund project “Shadow Craft · Creation”. He is a representative inheritor of shadow puppetry (Sichuan shadow puppetry) in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects and has been awarded the title of outstanding transmitter and the award for contribution to transmission and development by UNESCO and UNIMA. Wang Fang (as recorded in the official dossier of an associated inheritor): male, Han, born in October 1969 in Langzhong county, Sichuan. He began learning shadow performance and carving at sixteen and performed independently at eighteen; with his elder brother Wang Biao he inherited the family tradition and combined the strengths of Guang, Wei and native shadow puppetry, forming “northern Sichuan Wang shadow puppetry”. With Wang Biao he collected and collated more than sixty traditional scripts, created new works and staged fifteen new plays, and in 2006 set up a transmission class that became a National Art Fund training and demonstration base. He is a representative inheritor of shadow puppetry (Sichuan shadow puppetry) in the fifth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects and has been awarded the title of outstanding transmitter and the contribution award by UNESCO and UNIMA.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

  1. Shadow Puppetry (Langzhong, Sichuan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
  2. Wang Biao · National Representative Bearer Archive
  3. Wang Fang · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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