The Modeling of Langzhong Shadow Play

For hundreds of years, the northern Sichuan shadow play has gradually become colorful and unique in style because artists have continuously integrated foreign shadow play and other performing arts skills into the northern Sichuan shadow play. Nowadays, when we appreciate the shadow play in northern Sichuan, we will find it beautifully carved, vivid characters, smooth lines and bones, bright and harmonious colors and complete and unified composition. Every shadow play is a good handicraft.

Image is the main body of shadow play. The material is usually Sichuan cowhide, and the tender cowhide of 6 to 10 years old is very good in toughness and transparency, which is a very good material. After the cowhide is peeled off, it must be stretched, sweat-absorbed, ground, cut and preserved, scraped, ground, washed and carved into leather, and then carved and colored to form an image. The artistic creativity of shadow play draws lessons from the techniques and styles of silk paintings, stone reliefs, brick reliefs and temple murals in northern Sichuan, China. The carving tools of shadow play include knives, chisels, carving knives, drills and scissors. Among them, the drill bit is the most, reaching one or two hundred.

After carving a vivid shadow play, flexible operation (also known as walking shadow and hitting sticks) is the key. Playing with three sticks to control limbs and joints in shadow play can make shadow play alive, which requires great efforts and attention. Every finger has a division of labor, and the movements of ordinary people are expressed through the change of wrist strength and the cooperation with the body.

Sichuan shadow play is popular in northern Sichuan, most of which borrowed the tune of Sichuan opera and mixed with folk songs in northern Sichuan, and some of them were written by themselves, which are very popular. Accompaniment instruments include drums, gongs, cymbals, huqin and suona.

In Haiyang Zhi Zhu Ci, there is a poem describing the performance of shadow play: "Zhang Deng plays a new tune and cares about reality;" Pei Huan walked steadily, and I saw Li Furen's living account. "This is the primary stage of shadow play. The heyday is the Tang Dynasty. The shadow play here is exquisite in shape and skillful in performance. Shadow play was performed in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.