Puppet show (Taishun YaoFa puppet show)

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

Applicant: Taishun County, Zhejiang Province

Item No.: 236

Project No.: Ⅳ - 92

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Zhejiang Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Taishun County, Zhejiang Province

Protection unit: Taishun Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center

Brief introduction of puppet show (Taishun YaoFa puppet show)

Applicant: Taishun County, Zhejiang 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.

Taishun is located in the southern border of Zhejiang Province, known as the "hometown of puppets". Medicine puppet is a unique traditional form. Its puppet performance is driven by gunpowder, which is unique in other puppet performances. The combination of puppet performance in fireworks performance is also unique in other fireworks performances.

"Taishun medicine hair puppet" is a puppet show combining fireworks and puppets. In Taishun, it is called Qionghua puppet. The artists mixed puppet shapes such as opera characters and mythical characters into the fireworks. Driven by the fireworks, the puppets were flying in the air, colorful and lifelike. It is often performed in temple fairs, sacrifices, folk festivals and other activities. According to the investigation and research, it has been more than 300 years since the rise of Taishun medicine hair puppet.

Chinese puppet show "originated from Han Dynasty and flourished in Tang Dynasty", which mainly includes five categories: hanging silk puppet, stick head puppet, water puppet, medicine puppet and meat puppet. However, according to the relevant departments in Taishun, the Qionghua puppet, which has existed in the folk of Taishun for a long time, is called YaoFa puppet. The discovery of YaoFa puppet in Taishun, which has been handed down for hundreds of years, provides a valuable example for the study of puppetry in China.

However, due to the weakening of many folk customs, the change of entertainment forms and the consideration of public safety, the living space of YaoFa puppet is gradually shrinking, and its craft is complex and fine, so there are few new people to inherit it at this stage. Yao FA puppet makers are all old. This precious traditional opera form is on the verge of extinction and needs to be protected.

Chinese PinYin : Mu Ou Xi Tai Shun Yao Fa Mu Ou Xi