Qianjiang culture

Shadow play in Jianghan Plain refers to shadow play with the same artistic characteristics, which is popular in Mianyang (now Xiantao City), Qianjiang, Jianli, Honghu, Shishou, Jiangling, Gongan, Jingshan and other counties (cities) in central and southern Hubei Province. Jianghan Plain is bordered by the Yangtze River in the north and Hanshui River in the south. It is also the birthplace of Jingchu culture, where shadow play has found the soil for breeding and prosperity. Although its origin can't be verified, as early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, this area had the habit of singing shadow play when thanking God and celebrating festivals. Over time, it has formed a unique style and carving characteristics.

The core area of shadow play in Jianghan Plain is concentrated in the area of Heaven, Divinity and Mian (Xiantao), and its remarkable artistic features are mainly manifested in the art of carving, singing and oral writing.

The sculpture art of shadow play in Jianghan Plain originated from Tonge and Guo Ge in Qianjiang. Compared with the shadow play in other parts of China, it has a unique artistic style, such as exquisite design and lifelike characters.

The singing of shadow play in Jianghan Plain is mainly singing and fishing drum singing. In particular, the "chicken singing" in the vocal shadow play originated from the "embarrassed encirclement" of Chu State in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and is a "living fossil" in China's traditional music. Fishing drum cavity comes from the begging songs of old artists, with diverse modes and strong local flavor.

There are more than 300 shadow play operas in Jianghan Plain, and these "scripts" actually only have the provisions of operas. During the performance, the artist completely unfolds the plot and carves the characters according to the historical stories. Singing, doing, reading and playing are integrated. Its oral literary form is another main feature of shadow play in Jianghan Plain.

Shadow play in Jianghan Plain contains unique carving art and singing art, with simple style and simple rhyme, which has high academic and practical value.