Huan County Shadow Puppetry [Specialty of Huan County, Gansu]

What is Huan County Shadow Puppetry? Authentic specialty of Huan County, Gansu Province: Huan County Shadow Puppetry

Summary:Do you want to know what Huan County Shadow Puppetry is? This article is a detailed introduction to the special product of Huan County, Gansu Province - Huan County Shadow Puppetry. It was compiled and edited by the editorial team of China Specialty Network after reviewing and collecting relevant information on Huan County Shadow Puppetry. The full text takes about 4 minutes to read, mainly including the basic introduction of Huan County Shadow Puppetry and the product characteristics of Huan County Shadow Puppetry? How did the history of shadow puppetry in Huan County come about? The production methods of Huan County shadow puppetry, etc

Basic Introduction to Huan County Shadow Puppetry

Shadow puppetry is an ancient folk art of the Han ethnic group. It was first born in the Western Han Dynasty two thousand years ago, also known as sheepskin play, commonly known as head play, shadow play, and cowhide lamp shadow. Originating in Shaanxi, China, it matured in Qin, Jin, and Yu during the Tang and Song dynasties, and reached its peak in Hebei during the Qing dynasty

Shadow puppetry has a handsome and elegant appearance, with a straight and concise outline; The engraving is precise and smooth

More than two thousand years ago, Emperor Wu of Han's beloved concubine, Lady Li, passed away due to illness. Emperor Wu's longing was intense and he was in a trance, ignoring court affairs all day long. Minister Li Shaoweng went out one day and encountered a child playing with a cloth doll on the road, his shadow reflecting vividly on the ground. Li Shaoweng's heart stirred. He cut a cotton cloth into a portrait of Lady Li, painted it with colors, and installed wooden poles on his hands and feet. At night, a square curtain is hung around, lights and candles are lit, and the emperor is respectfully invited to sit in the tent and watch. Emperor Wu was delighted by the dragon's appearance and couldn't put it down. This love story recorded in the Book of Han is considered to be the earliest origin of shadow puppetry

Method of making Huan County shadow puppetry

The process of making shadow puppetry is to first remove the hair and blood from sheepskin, donkey skin, or other animal skins, then treat them with medicine to make the leather thin and semi transparent, apply tung oil, and then carve the leather into the desired character image. The head, limbs, torso, and other parts of the skin person are independent and connected by lines, and are controlled by actors through connecting bars to make them move. Skin people are painted in various colors to express the good, evil, beauty, and ugliness of the characters. When carving, it is generally done in the form of yang carving, and sometimes in the form of yin carving. The carving is meticulous and the knife techniques are varied. Painting dyeing also has certain requirements. Women's hair and clothing accessories often use patterns such as flowers, grass, clouds, and phoenixes, while men often use patterns such as dragons, tigers, water, and clouds. Generally, loyal and upright characters have a five point profile, while negative characters have a seven point profile. The character design is similar to that of a theatrical character, with a complete range of roles including actors, actresses, clean and ugly characters. The shadow puppets made are as high as 55 centimeters and as low as about 10 centimeters. Actors skillfully manipulate the movements of the skin figures behind a semi transparent white cloth, accompanied by rap and bands, and perform the plot with vivid and colorful sounds