1.4.Shadow player: the characters in shadow play在线视频

Lecture IV Scripted Play

An Art Form of Traditional Shadow Play

In the last class,

we explored the history of shadow play:

from the origin to prosperity and finally to worldwide spread.

In this long period of time,

it gradually formed its performance system.

Next, we will systematically demonstrate the artistic characteristics in terms of script,

performance venue, school style and social function.

Chapter I Shadow Play Book and Stage (Script and Performance Venue)

Scripted Play of the Book and Birth of Professional Stage

The rulers of the Ming Dynasty advocated the edification of masses,

and many literati,

including some scholars who had not achieved fame,

scripted for local shadow play.

These were the shadow play books,

the official performance scripts.

They were written by literati and sung by folk artists.

Unlike other operas,

this art form does not require actors to recite lines.

Artists only need to sing behind the screen according to the books.

This is called "scripted play".

At this time,

shadow play spread among the people as a tool to instruct the people to discourage evil and do good.

In this period,

dedicated shadow play stages emerged one after another across the country,

promoting the prosperity and development of shadow play.

There is a dedicated stage in Baizhongpu Village,

Liuzhuang Town, Yuxian County, Hebei Province.

It was built in the Ming Dynasty for puppets and shadow play,

called "Lamp Shadow Stage".

In the Ming Dynasty,

three major regional schools were gradually formed throughout the country:

the northern shadow play centered on Luanzhou shadow play,

the western shadow play centered on Shaanxi shadow play,

and the central and southern shadow play represented by shadow play in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Huguang.

These schools expanded from the Central Plains.

Wherever the shadow play spread,

it adapted to the local people and was closely integrated with local dialects,

slang and folk culture,

gradually forming own characteristics.

Northern Shadow Play

It includes shadow plays in Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia.

Emerging in the Jin period,

it was a branch of the ancient Central Plains shadow play that formed after the Jin soldiers invaded the Central Plains in 1127

and took various artists including shadow play artists to the north.

Shadow Play Brought from the South by Immigrants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang

The shadow play brought by the southern immigrants gradually rooted in Luanzhou,

now Tangshan region in Hebei.

During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty,

some literati participated in the script creation and then the Luanzhou Shadow Play with local characteristics was initially formed.

Artistic Features:

Similar features are seen from the style of the shadow puppets.

The most typical ones are Xiaosheng (young male role)

and Xiaodan (young female role) whose facebooks are free-sketched hollow faces with slim and long noses.

The lines of Tangshan Shadow Play are mostly straight lines,

and the puppets are mostly have slim and long noses.

Western Shadow Play

It includes shadow plays in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Qinghai and other places

It was formed as a result of the development of generations of shadow play artists

from the Central Plains who migrated westward due to the Event of Jingkang,

and is mainly represented by shadow plays in Huaxian and Huayin in Shaanxi.

Artistic features: The characters are featured by prominent forehead,

varied lines (two arcs are formed:

one from the forehead to the eyes and the other from eyes to nose tip),

diversified styles of eyes and noses and contrasting and splendid colors.

To highlight the facial features of the characters,

exaggerated and deformed artistic expressions are adopted.

With eyebrows and eyes running across the face,

the images are made solemn for the loyal,

insidious for the traitor,

ugly for the evil and handsome for the good.

To achieve a contrasting artistic effect,

positive characters are positively scribbled with innocent facial expressions

while the negative characters are incised with funny and hideous expressions.

Therefore, during the performance,

the good and the evil can be recognized the moment the characters are on the stage.

Sometimes facial shapes are presented in a way of combining virtuality

and reality to demonstrate a greater color contrast on the window,

so as to enhance the performance effect.

Central and Southern Shadow Play

It includes shadow plays in the Central Plains region and regions to its south.

While some shadow play artists moved southwards to Lin'an,

some moved to Shandong, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan and other places,

and then to Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan.

Artistic features:

The "Huige Club" features of shadow play in the Song Dynasty are retained,

and its shadow characters are represented by realistic painting techniques.

In this class,

we have systematically learned the art form of shadow play from the aspects of shadow play book,

stage, regional schools and educational function.

The key knowledge points that we need to know are:

What are the major regional schools of Chinese shadow play? How are they formed?

Give examples to illustrate the artistic features of these regional schools.

We know that in any film and television drama,

various skills are used to express drama conflicts.

The same goes for shadow play.

In the next class,

we will start with "Shadow Puppets",

and find out how the shadow play shapes roles in style.