There was nothing in Xiao'er's chest, and it was originally a decaying wooden body.
Yiguan also learns poetry and literature, and his appearance can shock the people of the city.
Proud of the ugliness of the authorities, bystanders do not recognize the real scene.
Teach that the limbs can be flexible, and they can not be bent and stretched without lifting and tearing.
—— Zheng Banqiao, "Wing Golem"
Iron Branch Puppet (Photo: Huang Jianfeng)
Zheng Banqiao's "Wing Golem" uses simple and natural language to make a wonderful depiction of puppet art. The so-called "three-foot drama stage palm play, ten fingers intertwined with sorrow and joy", the small stage, interpreting a classic tide drama, life is varied.
The iron-branch puppet show in Chenghai, Shantou, is an important part of the Yingshen Competition, and it is also a cultural symbol with regional characteristics. It has no "paper" and no "shadow", but it is often called "paper shadow play", and its predecessor is a shadow puppet play.
As early as the Han dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, there were shadow puppet performances of song and dance, during the Southern Song Dynasty, the Central Plains shadow puppet performances entered its heyday, and the Qing Jiaqing version of "Chenghai County Chronicle" had "Fifteen days of township societies greeting the gods, and the night is particularly prosperous... Subsequently, the social competition in Pear Garden ended in March, "the first moon lantern, the February play, and the joy of acting in the shadow, the gong and drum all night", which shows the grandeur of the entertainment and film drama at that time.
Backstage of the Iron Branch Puppet (Photo: Xu Duanjie)
In the fifth volume of the "Lingnan Miscellaneous Poetry Notes" in the Light Years of the Qing Dynasty, it is recorded that "the most beautiful shadow drama of the hipsters, with pig skin as the character, the abbot of the stage, the front corner of the paper barrier, the lamp behind, and the leather characters are shadowed on the paper." "Shadow puppet play with pig skin and cowhide two kinds of materials to make a character, the performance of the stage put a lamp, the table is a transparent white bamboo paper paste of bamboo frame, shadow figure image reflected on the paper, so called "bamboo window paper shadow", also known as "white bamboo paper shadow play", this is "paper shadow play".
Danjiao in the Iron Branch Puppet (Photo: Chen Xueting, Liu Jieying)
In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, folk artists were influenced by Chao opera, integrated into local cultural elements, used and transformed, and made major reforms, the paper window on the shadow puppet stage was changed to an embroidered curtain tabletop, and the side image of the shadow carved figure was also replaced by a solid puppet shape made of wood, with a clay sculpture of the head and the upper body of the costume, and the artist manipulated the three iron branches behind the puppet, imitating the movements of the Chao opera actors, singing the tide cavity tune, and performing on the small stage, this unique performance form was basically fixed at this point. The Chaoshan Folk Customs Dictionary has articles on the Chenghai Iron Branch Puppet Show, which has been circulating for more than 200 years according to the "Chenghai County Chronicle".
Iron Branch Puppet (Photo: Xu Duanjie)
Helmet of the iron-branch puppet (Photo: Xu Duanjie)
The puppets in the Shantou Tiezhi Puppet Show are works of art that integrate traditional crafts such as statues and tide embroidery - paper patches are appliqués for hats, incense powder is used as the head, wood is the body, and the costumes are full of exquisite tide embroidery.
Puppet shows have traditional repertoire and fixed scripts, and the plot and musical singing voice are transplanted from Chao opera, which can be regarded as "miniature Chao Opera". During the performance of the drama class, a small stage is set up, separated by a colorful eyebrow embroidery screen, and the backstage manipulators sit cross-legged and perform at the front desk with puppets.
The puppet show retains the program of shadow puppetry behind the scenes, mainly by relying on the three iron branches behind the back (drama sticks) operated by the people behind the scenes. The "middle basket" is placed in the middle of the puppet's back, which is equivalent to the central nervous system, and the movements such as standing, walking, swinging, and turning are all handled by this "middle basket". The two branches of the "hand" are placed on the left and right hands of the puppet, and under the operation of the artist, the puppet's two hands are flexible, and various modal actions are "hand" to hand.
Iron Branch Puppet Interpretation (Photo: Fang Wenqi)
The basic performance techniques are pushing, pulling, lifting, dialing, shaking and other programs, according to the characters in the play and the plot to perform horseback riding, boating, martial arts and other actions, these unique manipulation techniques, through the inheritance and innovation of folk artists from generation to generation, have formed a complete set of production and performance styles, is a precious intangible cultural heritage.
Iron branch puppet lovers exchange skills (Photo: Jia Tianyong)
The original Chenghai County (now Chenghai District, Shantou City) is the original divergence of iron-branch puppets, in the late Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the People's Republic, there were many paper shadow classes engaged in the industry of puppetry, and the performance market was very hot, especially in the middle of the Republic of China, Chenghai County Paper Shadow Class was even more numerous, such as Le Rongtian, Le Yaotian and so on. After the 1950s, the number of paper photography classes began to decrease year by year. Since the 1980s, some paper studios have resumed performances. Entering a new period of historical development, affected by the development and changes of the times, only sporadic drama classes exist at present, and the performances are intermittent.
Xu Duanjie and Tiezhi puppets, representative inheritors of district intangible cultural heritage (Photo: Zhang Wenfeng)
The "Old Yu Chunxiang" class in Qianxi Xu Village, Longdu Town, Chenghai District, Shantou City, is one of the few drama classes in Chenghai at present. On the basis of inheriting the traditional performing arts, the Old Yu Chunxiang PuppetRy Class integrates new elements of modern plastic arts, designs and innovates props such as dolls, helmets, costumes, etc., and actively creates original innovative plays, records new lyrics, and rehearses various stunt performances, which is refreshing.
In 2018, "Shantou Puppet Show (Chenghai Qianxi Iron Branch Puppet)" entered the Chenghai District Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Chao opera performance artist Yao Xuanqiu exchange director (Photo: Xiao Feng)
In ancient times, there were poplar window paper shadows, and now there are iron-branch puppets, or pulling, or lifting, or plucking, or shaking, vivid and wonderful. One person, one stage, one bamboo mat, and several puppets are a wonderful "miniature chao opera", and the puppets raise their hands and throw their feet to show the classic plays with strong Chaoshan cultural characteristics, such as the traditional drama "Peach Blossom Transition", "Chai Fang Hui", "Queqiao Society", "Stolen Immortal Grass", "Yang Eight Sisters Breaking into Youzhou" and so on.
Under the skillful interpretation of the puppet artist, the little puppeteer is still on the stage, telling the story of Chaoshan.
Source | Fang Zhi Guangdong
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