Shadow play is one of the earliest operas in China. What are its characteristics?

Shadow play is the general name of shadow play and shadow play character products. Shadow play is one of the earliest operas in China. The "shadow people" in the play is made of donkey skin, cowhide and sheepskin by scraping, painting, carving, coloring, ironing, oiling and sewing according to the design and setting of the characters in the play.

Characters' faces and costumes are vivid, simple and rough, exquisite and romantic, or exaggerated and humorous. Coupled with smooth carving and gorgeous coloring, it achieves the artistic effect of running through the whole body and flexible limbs.

Under the control of the artist, shadow people was reflected by the light on the white cloth screen, and with the accompaniment of musical instruments and singing, he became the artistic image of "telling the story of the ages in one breath and dancing to a million soldiers in one hand".

Liaoning's shadow play was brought in by soldiers from Shaanxi who went to Liaodong to defend the border during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. A Brief History of Luanzhou Shadow Play in Qing Dynasty describes that in the late Ming Dynasty, shadow play was quite popular in Changbai Heishui area, especially in Manchuria. During Jiaqing period of Qing Dynasty, Luanzhou Shadow Play in Tangshan, Hebei Province and Dengzhou Shadow Play in Shandong Province were also introduced to Northeast China, so the shadow play in Northeast China began to form three schools: Northeast Shadow Play (local shadow play), Luanzhou Shadow Play and Dengzhou Shadow Play (south shadow play). ?

From the Qing Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, the art of Chinese shadow play reached its peak. Many shadow puppeteers have inherited their father's career and passed it on from generation to generation. No matter from the aspects of film production, acting and singing, and popular fields, it has reached the peak of history. At that time, many Wang gentry in the official residence were proud to invite famous teachers to engrave films, store exquisite film boxes and raise private film classes. In folk rural towns, large and small shadow play classes also abound. It is not surprising that there are twenty or thirty film classes in a township and a city. Whether it is a holiday, a bumper harvest, praying for the gods, or a wedding banquet to celebrate the birthday, it is indispensable to sing a shadow. Even this drama (series) will take all night or ten and a half months to finish. A temple fair, there can be several film classes fighting, very lively, you can imagine.

Taishan Shadow Play is the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in China. Taishan shadow play, also known as celebrity play and shadow play, is also called donkey shadow play because its shadow figures and props are all made of donkey skin. Listening to its sound and observing its shape all reveal the profoundness and simplicity of Taishan culture. According to the elders, shadow play has been sung in Taishan for more than 400 years, and it is impossible to know who first spread shadow play to Taishan.

The performance mode of Taishan shadow play is to set up screens, commonly known as shadow windows. Actors manipulate shadow puppeteers to perform various vivid performances, with voiceover singing as a contrast with lighting, scenery and music. Shadow play is no different from juggling at first glance, just a few hollow figures gesturing. But don't underestimate these little people. You've been singing the whole play for three days and nights, and it's unambiguous. In the early days, there were more than a dozen shadow puppetry classes at the foot of Mount Tai, which were very popular in the streets of Tai 'an City.