2019-06-10

There is a form of performance in which figures made of animal skins or cardboard are silhouetted and illuminated by a lamplight with a screen. Behind a white curtain, artists manipulate opera figures and tell stories in popular local tunes, accompanied by percussion and strings. Do you know what this is? It is -- shadow puppetry. Next, I would like to introduce the development, production and performance characteristics of Taishan shadow puppetry in my hometown.

Taishan shadow puppetry has a long history dating back more than 600 years. There is a folk saying that "If you don’t watch shadow puppertry on mount tai,you will feel regretful.If you don’t watch shadow puppetry,you won’t know propriety, righteousness and integrity.” TaiShan shadow puppetry has been continuously developed and improved through generations of inheritance, and won the title of national intangible cultural heritage in 2007.Fan zhengan, the sixth generation of shadow puppetry inheritor of mount tai, was warmly received by premier wen jiabao and performed Chinese shadow puppetry stuntsshi bu xian”for him.”I only have one wish,”Fan said,”let the treasure left by the ancestors continues in my hands.”

Taishan shadow puppetry is made of pure donkey skin and made in strict accordance with the ancient method, divided into 10 steps and 21 procedures, each shadow puppetry is hand-carved with nearly 3,000 knives.The knife method is succinct,the color contrast is intense,contains the Shandong people forthright folk custom emotion. Taishan shadow play has a lot of fighting scenes, so producers must make materials strong and durable. Trying to generalize as much as possible on carving. The series of handicrafts are divided into four categories and more than 60 varieties, including clothing category, picture frame category, hanging decoration category and album category.

The performance of the Chinese shadow play is various, but typically requires people to collaborate, shadow play world spreads a proverb that “seven performers are too intense, eight performers are a little loose.”Taishan shadow play is the most unique way of performance,a play needs at most two people,that is,one person accompaninment,one person to manipulate the shadow show,if necessary,one person has to complete a whole performance.This is the shadow play of the ancient skills:”not tale”. In the shadow play performance, the whole body is mobilized, this requires the performers have a very thick performance skills.

Taishan shadow puppetry is a traditional culture in my hometown.The current development is good. I would like to introduce it to you and hope that you can enjoy this form of performance after learning about it.

17新三辛聪聪