Puppet show (Western Liaoning puppet show)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Puppet Show (Western Liaoning puppet show)

Applicant: Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province

Item No.: 236

Project No.: Ⅳ - 92

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Liaoning Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province

Protection unit: Jinzhou Puppet Troupe Co., Ltd

Introduction to puppet show (Western Liaoning puppet show)

Applicant: Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province

Puppet opera, known as "puppet opera" and "puppet", is a form of opera in which puppets perform stories by artists.

China's puppet opera rose in the Han Dynasty, to the Tang Dynasty has a new development and improvement, can use puppets to perform song and dance drama. Song Dynasty is an important period for the development of puppet show in China, and the puppet production technology and manipulation skills are further mature. With the development of social economy, the puppet show of Ming Dynasty has been popular all over the country, and the puppet show of the economically developed southern provinces and regions is more prosperous, so there is a saying of "good puppet in the South". After the Qing Dynasty, puppet show entered its heyday. It was not only popular in a wide range, but also showed more and more vocal performances. There appeared western Liaoning puppet show, Zhangzhou puppet show, Quanzhou string puppet show, Jinjiang puppet show, Shaoyang puppet show, Gaozhou puppet show, Chaozhou Tiezhi puppet show, North Sichuan puppet show, Shiqian puppet show, yangstring puppet show, Taishun YaoFa puppet show There are many branches such as opera, Lingao puppet show and so on. As far as the form of performance is concerned, it can be summarized as five kinds: string puppet, stick head puppet, bag puppet, iron branch puppet and medicine hair puppet.

The art of puppet is so beautiful that it's amazing. In addition to the wonderful performances of the artists, the perfect puppet plastic arts and operating equipment are also an important aspect to attract the audience. Plastic arts focus on the carving and design of puppets. Generally speaking, the modeling of string puppets is relatively high, mostly about 2.2 feet. Key parts are decorated with lifting lines, up to more than 30, at least more than 10, such as stunt performances also need to add a number of auxiliary lifting lines. The level of puppet performers' various dance movements and martial arts skills completely depends on the artist's operating skills, which is the key to the level of puppet performance art. The head of the staff puppet is higher than the string puppet. Generally, the height of the puppet is about 3 feet. It is equipped with three operating lines, two of which pull hands, and one dominates the head and body. The puppet with the smallest shape, only about 7 inches, relies on the artist's two hands to hold up the performance. The operation skill is special, which is different from the string and stick puppet.

Since the founding of the people's Republic of China, puppet shows have become more colorful. In addition to performing traditional opera programs, they also perform drama, song and dance drama, series, and even advertisements. At the same time, puppet show is also facing fierce competition with other art forms. Traditional puppet shows contain the ideology, morality and aesthetic consciousness of the people of all regions and nationalities, which should be supported and protected.

The corridor of western Liaoning is like a colorful drill beyond time and space, connecting the Han ethnic culture of Central Plains with the ethnic culture of Northwest Liaoning. Unique region and complex corridor culture give birth to its own puppet art style in western Liaoning.

Cai Datian (CAI Wanrong) is the founder of western Liaoning puppet design and production. The large-scale myth story hanging silk puppet play Chang'e rushes to the moon designed and produced by him is excellent, which has caused great repercussions both inside and outside the province.

"Su San Qi Jie" and "Ge Ma" carved by Cai Datian are vivid and lifelike. Wangniangtan, which was designed by Zhang Ding (former president of the Central Academy of Arts and crafts) from Heishan, western Liaoning Province, and carved by Cai Datian himself, namely Wuni dragon and black wind tunnel, has been highly praised by Zhang Ding. Designed by Zhang Guangyu, a former "green art" artist, and carved by Cai Datian, Zhu Bajie carries his daughter-in-law and Xiao fangniu are popular. It is a pity that these precious masterpieces were all burned during the cultural revolution.

Guan Jianqing, the main inheritor of western Liaoning puppet art performance, was born in 1926. He is a puppet artist with hanging silk in the folk troupe. His masterpiece is Pingdingshan (three dozen Baigujing). The western Liaoning puppet has been handed down for six generations. In January 1953, 23 members of the western Liaoning Puppet Troupe were sent to Beijing by the Ministry of culture of the CPC Central Committee, and today's Chinese Puppet Troupe was established. Unwilling to be lonely, the puppet people in western Liaoning faced difficulties and hardships in the following several periods, with six ups and five downs. Their works edify the sentiment of generation after generation of children. They are rare operas in the three eastern provinces. At the same time, they fill the gap of puppet art in Liaoning Province.

At present, western Liaoning puppet art is facing a crisis. The older generation of artists are over 70 or 80 years old, and the inheritance is on the verge of breaking.

Chinese PinYin : Mu Ou Xi Liao Xi Mu Ou Xi