Introduction of Guanzhong Shadow Play Folk Culture

Guanzhong shadow play is a very old traditional drama art form. It originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty. Originally made of cardboard, it was refined from the skins of cattle, sheep, donkeys and other animals after the Song Dynasty. According to the design image of the opera, the first-class donkey, cow and sheepskin are selected and made through six processes: scraping, carving, dyeing, covering, ironing and cutting. Guanzhong shadow play not only inherited the tradition of stone carving in Han dynasty, but also gave full play to the advantages of institutional painting in Song dynasty. It uses fine contour modeling, exaggerated decorative patterns, dense and virtual treatment methods and meticulous carving techniques to express the appearance, identity, clothing and personality of the characters in the play, achieving artistic effects of both form and spirit. Shaanxi shadow play is divided into three roads: east, west and south. Wan Wan Qiang Shadow Play is the representative of East Road School, Silk Board Shadow Play is the representative of West Road School, and South Road School is between East and West Schools.