Is face-changing a state-level secret?

In China, face-changing belongs to the second class of state secrets, and if the person who masters this art intentionally divulges or reveals the secret of face-changing through his own negligence, he is held criminally liable. As a matter of fact, the Sichuan Opera face-changing is also the only masterpiece in the Chinese theater industry that is classified as a state secret.

Why is this the case? Why does the state attach so much importance to keeping the face-changing technique a secret? The reason is actually very simple: if we don't protect this stunt vigorously, it will probably be stolen by people from other countries.

In order to prevent similar things from happening again, in 1987, the Ministry of Culture formally issued a document classifying the art of face-changing as a national second-class secret. This kind of positive protection of the national essence is undoubtedly very necessary, thousands of years under the transmission of the old craft, how can be easily stolen by others?