What operas are endangered in China?

Endangered operas in China are: Taishan Shadow Play, etc.

At the foot of the majestic Mount Tai, there is a wonderful flower of national art and culture-Taishan Shadow Play, which is an integral part of China traditional culture. In the past 300 years, it has brought joy to countless people, but now this "living fossil" which directly reflects the long-standing traditional culture of China has been passed down by few people and will soon be lost.

First, what is shadow play?

Shadow play is a kind of puppet show and an ancient drama in China. It originated in Chang 'an, China more than two thousand years ago, and prevailed in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is still popular in China, and it is a unique piece of folk art in China. "Shadow Play" is the general name of shadow play and shadow play characters (including scene props and scenery) products. Shadow play, as a unique artistic variety skillfully combining China folk crafts with China traditional operas, is an indispensable and exquisite pearl in the Chinese national art palace.

Shadow play is a form of drama that allows the audience to watch the light and shadow of the plane puppet performance through the white curtain to achieve artistic effects. The "shadow play" used in the performance is made of donkey skin, or cowhide and sheepskin, and the plane puppets and scene props in the play are usually leather products painted by folk artists and carved with knives, so it is called shadow play.

Shadow play products (referred to as shadow play) are not only used for the performance of shadow play, but also for everyone to play with their hands. It can also be placed in front of the window or on a white wall as an indoor art decoration. China's shadow play is owned by many museums, collectors, artists and shadow play lovers at home and abroad because of its simple and elegant shape and strong national flavor, and it has both artistic appreciation and collection value. Shadow play has also played a certain role in the development of culture and art at home and abroad. There are many new local operas, all of which are derived from the vocals of various shadow plays. The performance principle and artistic means of Chinese shadow play also played a leading role in the invention of modern film and the development of modern film art film. The western world, from Goethe in the18th century to Chaplin later, as well as other world cultural celebrities, spoke highly of the art of Chinese shadow play. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), leaders of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other countries have entertained domestic and foreign guests with shadow play for many times. In international communication, China people often give Chinese shadow play as a first-class gift to international friends.

Shadow play has light equipment, rich and beautiful singing and wonderful performances. For thousands of years, it has been deeply loved by the general public. In the long-term evolution, shadow play has formed different local schools, such as Tangshan shadow play, Shandong shadow play, Shaanxi shadow play and so on. Taishan shadow play is a wonderful flower nourished by the ancient Taishan culture in Shandong shadow play.

Taishan shadow play, also known as people's play and shadow play, is also called donkey shadow play because its shadow figures and props are made of donkey skin. Listening to its sound and observing its shape all reveal the profoundness and simplicity of Taishan culture. 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. In the early years, there were more than a dozen shadow play classes at the foot of Mount Tai, which were very popular in the streets of Tai 'an City.

Second, the characteristics of Taishan shadow play

Compared with other shadow plays, Taishan Shadow Play has four unique features: 1. In terms of subject matter, many dramas are based on the cultural legends of Mount Tai. It is famous for its few performers. 3. In the production of shadow play, the knife method is concise and bright, and the coloring contrast is strong, which contains the bold and unconstrained folk feelings of Shandong people. 4. Shandong drum is the main vocal style, which combines rigidity with softness and has a mixed style, reflecting the compatibility of Taishan culture.

Taishan shadow play is an important branch of Shandong shadow play, which is closely related to Shandong folk art and local opera. Its characters are rough in shape, finely carved and brightly painted, with the character of Qilu culture and strong regional characteristics of Mount Tai. The charm of Dawenkou culture, the blending of the culture of the Yin and Shang Dynasties in Dongyi, and the inheritance and evolution of Qilu culture have formed the genes and characteristics of Taishan folk customs, and the sacrifices of gods, places and ghosts have made Taishan folk customs mysterious. From nature to the source of aura, from the mountain of geography to the mountain of spirit, from lingshi worship to Shi Gandang belief, from firewood hunting to retreat, it embodies the folk custom of Taishan stone worship with mixed customs and habits. The majestic and respectable Emperor Dongyue and the kind and amiable Grandma Taishan represent Taishan's belief in the gods and folk customs. A large-scale incense organization, teams of pilgrims who pray and fulfill their wishes, show the spiritual demands of all sentient beings. All these provide fertile soil for the growth of Taishan shadow play. Taishan shadow play is based on numerous myths and legends of Taishan Mountain, which promotes wisdom and justice, traditional culture and national spirit. The dramas of Taishan Shadow Play are mainly based on Taishan myths and legends, especially Taishan Shi Gandang series, which is an important part of Taishan culture. Its repertoire is rich, with "Mount Tai" and "Shi Gandang" as the main stories, with no words and rich vocals. Different vocals are designed according to different roles, and the dialogue is in Tai 'an dialect, which is very colloquial, easy to understand and suitable for all ages. While inheriting the tradition, we also pay attention to development and innovation.

Shadow play on Mount Tai has been famous for its few operators since ancient times. There is a proverb called "seven tight, eight loose and nine stops", which means that shadow play in other places usually needs the cooperation of eight people, Qi Xin, and the shadow play on Mount Tai was inherited and created by a generation of master Mr. Fan Zhengan, and the shadow play was independently produced, performed, manipulated, accompanied, sung and told by one person. This stunt is unique in the shadow play industry in China.

In terms of production techniques, Taishan shadow play has its own uniqueness. Taishan shadow play is made of raw cowhide or donkey skin, and the shadow play is large, about one and a half feet high. The antiseptic treatment of leather is the first step in shadow play making. Taishan shadow play can often be preserved for 70 to 80 years, even for hundreds of years under good preservation conditions, thanks to its unique anti-corrosion treatment. In carving, simple knife cutting and rough generalization are similar to freehand brushwork in Chinese painting, which embodies the simple and honest and open-minded character of Taishan people. Taishan shadow play has a strong contrast in color, and uses many traditional folk colors, such as red, green, yellow and purple, with excellent visual effects. In addition, the production skills of Taishan shadow play are different from other shadow plays in sewing and tying rods. Taishan shadow play is influenced by Taishan culture, with rough and bold figures, even exaggerated deformation, pursuit of spirit likeness, strong color contrast and simple and rigid sculpture. Since its birth, it has been deeply branded with Taishan culture and has distinctive regional characteristics.

Since it's a play, it has to be sung. There are many kinds of vocals in Taishan shadow play, which not only fully inherits the "grinding tune" of early Shandong shadow play, but also widely absorbs the vocals of other popular local folk operas, forming a rich and unique vocal system. Through successive generations, Taishan shadow play artists not only retained the traditional performance skills, carving methods and oral scripts of Taishan shadow play, but also made many innovations and developments. The singing of Taishan Shadow Play is high-pitched, vigorous and practical. She is dominated by Shandong drums, supplemented by piano books and pendants, and her style is mixed. The lyrics in his plays are all in Taishan dialect, which is humorous and deeply loved by the people. The accompaniment instrument of Taishan shadow play is only one drum, one cymbal and one bangzi, which is the best in shadow play.

Third, the history and present situation of Taishan shadow play

Shandong shadow play has a long history, and the activities of Shandong shadow play have been very prosperous since the Ming Dynasty, with Taishan shadow play as its important representative. According to the census, Taishan shadow play has been passed down for six generations from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China. Shadow play on Mount Tai is an important part of Mount Tai culture. Based on Taishan folk paper-cut and traditional opera masks, the figures gradually formed a series of masks with distinctive regional characteristics. Shadow people's height is about 50 cm. The business of shadow play characters is basically the same as that of Chinese opera. Taishan shadow play has a rich repertoire, especially Taishan Shi Gandang series. The performance of Taishan Shadow Play is a typical oral folk culture, which has no script and depends entirely on the actors' memories.

Taishan Shadow Play is mainly distributed in Tai 'an City, Feicheng City, Dongping County, Ningyang County, xintai city and other places, and spread to Linyi, Jinan, eastern Shandong and other areas.

Taishan shadow play is the direct line of Shandong shadow play. According to experts' research, there is a record of Shandong shadow play in the Ming Dynasty in Leisure Review. Taishan shadow play originated from Zhaijia in the east of Tai 'an in the late Qing Dynasty, with a recorded history of 300 years. Shadow play in Taishan is significantly different from shadow play in all parts of the country. Shadow play in other areas can only be performed by more than two or even seven or eight people, while the performance, manipulation, accompaniment, singing and narration of Taishan Shadow Play are all performed by one person, which is a rare stunt in the shadow play industry in China. Zhai's ancestors were from the east of Tai 'an. About three generations before Zhai, they began to engage in the early Taishan shadow play art, which was mainly passed down from generation to generation. According to the survey, since the late Qing Dynasty, Taishan Shadow Play has been passed down for six generations. Now the head of Taishan Shadow Play is Mr. Fan Zhengan, 64 years old.

The inheritance and development of Taishan Shadow Play has gone through four stages:

The first stage: this period can be said to be the origin of Taishan shadow play, and it can also be called the embryonic stage. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zhai family began to engage in shadow play, inspired by local operas and Taishan myths and legends. The budding stage is self-entertainment. With the gradual maturity of production and performance, the Zhai family began to make a living by using shadow play art, and often performed in Dongyue Temple Fair, Xianghui Fair and Market, which was widely welcomed by the people. At that time, Zhai's ancestors mainly used paper as material for filmmakers. Due to frequent performances, paper filmmakers are easily damaged. Later, they got information from Shaanxi pilgrims who went to Mount Tai and began to try to make filmmakers out of cowhide or donkey skin. First, they soak cowhide or donkey skin in quicklime water for several days, scrape off grease and sundries with a knife, nail them on a board, and slowly dry them in the shade. When making, first draw the outline of the basic figure with cardboard, then stick the outline sample on the leather for drawing, then cut out the outline of the shadow figure, then carve it with a knife, and then color it after carving, with red, green, blue and yellow as the main chromatograms. After the painted shadow dries 70% in the shade, press it with sandbags for about seven or eight days to make it smooth. In order to protect against rain and moisture and keep the color bright, tung oil is sprayed on the surface of the shadow man to form a protective layer. Then sew it with a needle and thread, tie it, and tie it to a pole. The completed filmmakers have to undergo strict debugging, so that the filmmakers can reach the most ideal stage.

The second stage: the third generation head of Taishan Zhai Shadow Play accepted the rapper Lu Taichang as an apprentice. Because Lu Taichang is a rapper, he has mastered a lot of tracks, which greatly promoted the enrichment and development of Taishan Shadow Play, especially the voice. During this period, the voice of Taishan Shadow Play changed from monotonous Shandong Bangzi and local minor to old tune, drum tune, southern tune, Qin tune and crib. Greatly enriched the expressive force of Taishan shadow play. With the continuous improvement of the audience's aesthetic level, in addition to the rich repertoire, film production has also made great progress. Sculpture and painting are more exquisite. The size of shadow figures is generally about one and a half feet, and a large number of artistic elements such as murals, portraits of gods, clay sculptures and opera masks are drawn. Faces are generally positive, female and male, and they are matched as needed. At that time, there were 100 kinds of characters and head shapes in a photo box, all of which were vivid and lifelike.

The third stage: mainly the shadow play activities of Liu Yufeng, a famous shadow play artist in Mount Tai. In 1950s, Liu Yufeng began to engage in shadow play under the guidance of Lu Taichang. The notable feature of Taishan shadow play in this period is to further establish its position in Taishan culture. The repertoire is mainly based on the creation and performance of Mount Tai Shi Gandang series. On the basis of inheriting predecessors, Liu Yufeng learned a lot of nutrition from Taishan culture and devoted himself to the creation of "Taishan Shi Gandang" series. The regional cultural character and style of Taishan shadow play are more prominent. During this period, Liu Yufeng wrote and performed a series of plays, including Shi Gandang vs King Jing, Shi Gandang Longjiao Mountain Killing the Wolf, Shi Gandang vs Corner, Shi Gandang Killing the Golden Claw, Wu Ge Temple in Shi Gandang Catching Ghosts, Shi Gandang Being a River to ward off evil spirits, and Shi Gandang's daughter-in-law in Wangzhuang.

The fourth stage: In the late 1950s, Fan Zhengan formally took Liu Yufeng as his teacher and became a direct descendant of Taishan Shadow Play. Mr. Fan Zhengan has a natural understanding of Taishan culture and folk art. With the help of the aura of Taishan culture, he released his talent in shadow play art with the best posture. Along the vein of Taishan culture, Taishan shadow play art has become a unique folk art treasure in the process of turning pupa into butterfly. On the basis of completely maintaining the tradition of Taishan shadow play, it has widely absorbed the performance skills such as Xihe drum, Shandong four-board calligraphy and ten leisure. In particular, his original performance skill of manipulating, singing and accompanying by one person at the same time has become a rare stunt in today's Chinese shadow play performance.

Fourthly, the inheritance of Taishan shadow play is missing and needs to be protected urgently.

The important value of Taishan shadow play lies in that Taishan shadow play is an important part of Taishan culture, which enriches the connotation of Taishan culture, and art embodies the profoundness of Taishan culture. It comes from the people, is active in the people, and has strong local characteristics of Mount Tai. The legends and stories of Mount Tai, which have been circulated for thousands of years, are artistically presented to the audience and are deeply loved by the audience. It eulogizes truth, goodness and beauty, and its language is simple and vivid, which is familiar to the audience and has high literary value. As the carrier of Mount Tai culture, the myths and legends of Mount Tai are visualized with exaggerated freehand brushwork, which makes the audience get aesthetic pleasure through this art form. It is simple and vivid in shape, with strong color contrast and rich in Taishan regional characteristics. It has rich vocals, most of which are taken from folk tunes or local operas. Its singing is euphemistic and easy to understand, and it is a living fossil of folk music.

In view of the close relationship between Taishan shadow play and other folk rap, it is of typical significance to excavate and sort out Taishan shadow play in the protection of intangible cultural heritage. The protection and research of Taishan shadow play is also a deep excavation, arrangement and comprehensive understanding of the history, spread and present situation of Chinese shadow play art. It will have important practical significance and far-reaching historical significance for carrying forward the excellent traditional culture of the nation, saving the endangered intangible cultural heritage and prospering the contemporary folk culture.

When the society enters the transition period, it has a strong impact on traditional culture. The infiltration of western culture into national culture, as well as the squeezing of folk culture by the media and various modern arts, make Taishan shadow play fall into a trough like other folk arts, losing its memory and words. The glory of Taishan shadow play is gone. There are more than a dozen performance units in the peak period. Later, most artists engaged in shadow play had to reluctantly give up what they wanted, giving up the art of shadow play and engaging in other industries. Up to now, Tai 'an Shadow Play has changed from six people to only one Mr. Zheng Fan 'an, which is the only family shadow play group in Tai 'an.

Mr. Zheng Fan 'an attached great importance to the inheritance of Taishan Shadow Play and fought tenaciously for its survival and development. Despite the shrinking performance market, the sharp diversion of audiences and the sharp drop in income, he managed miserably. In the predicament of no successor, he had to continue the life of Taishan shadow play in the form of a family heirloom.

Representative inheritor-Zheng Fan 'an

Zheng Fan 'an,1born in February, 1945, has a primary school education and is a descendant of Taishan Shadow Play. Apprentice from 1958, can perform independently after two years, and perform more than 200 performances every year from 1960. In this performance learning practice, he mastered all kinds of skills from production to performance, which not only inherited and developed traditional skills, but also developed new ones. In the production of shadow play, the simple and single color of traditional sculpture has been changed, and new shapes suitable for the performance of Taishan shadow play have been absorbed from woodblock New Year pictures and foreign shadow play, and innovations have been made in the production of set props. In terms of performance, it inherits and innovates the unique performance mode of shadow play industry, that is, Taishan shadow play is not idle. According to experts' comments, this is the only shadow play in China.

As the main inheritor of Taishan Shadow Play, Mr. Zheng Fan 'an, on the basis of completely maintaining the tradition of Taishan Shadow Play, extensively absorbed the performance skills such as Xihe Drum, Shandong Blackboard Calligraphy, Shi Buxian, etc., and especially created a unique performance method in which one person manipulated, sang and accompanied at the same time, which became a rare stunt in today's Chinese shadow play. He created the brand of Taishan culture, interpreted the story of "Taishan Shi Gandang" with shadow play, and enriched the connotation of Taishan culture. Mr. Zheng Fan 'an's shadow play has superb skills, rich repertoire and diverse vocals. At the same time, based on the inheritance of shadow play sculpture, landscape sketch and musical instrument accompaniment, he has many important creations, and the art of shadow play is the best in Shandong.