China News Service, Xiaogan, August 6, title: Hubei "Shadow Puppet King": Sticking to 42 years of inheritance and promotion of traditional culture
Author Wu Yili Wang Fang
Lantern opera in the first month, ancestor worship opera in March, Duanyang opera in May, and Mid-Autumn opera in August... There are 364 performances a year, and singing for 3 hours a day. In the interweaving light and shadow of shadow puppetry, Qin Ligang persisted for 42 years.
The picture shows Qin Ligang is teaching the knowledge of shadow play. Photographed by Wang Fang
Qin Ligang, born in 1949 in Yunmeng County, Xiaogan City, the "Hometown of Shadow Puppet Art in Hubei", is a member of the International Wooden Couplets Association and a national non-genetic inheritor of shadow puppetry. He began his career in shadow puppetry in 1978. Since then, he has performed 364 performances every year, with a total of more than 15,000 performances, and is called "the king of shadow puppets" by fans.
The picture shows Qin Ligang performing a shadow play by Wang Fang
Qin Ligang introduced that shadow puppetry is an ancient traditional Chinese folk art with a history of more than two thousand years. Silhouettes are made of animal skins or cardboard. Under the illumination of a light source, they are performed on bright cloths, combining painting, paper cutting, rap, and Opera in one. On the basis of traditional shadow puppetry, Yunmeng shadow puppetry incorporates the characteristics of Chu and Han opera, which is deeply loved by locals.
The picture shows Qin Ligang is choosing performance props. Photo by Wang Fang
In 1984, Qin Ligang transformed his building into a "Mengze Movie Theater", and reporters recently visited here.
"Mengze Shadow Theater" is located in an alley in Chengguan Town, Yunmeng County, surrounded by shops, making it look a little inconspicuous. As everyone knows, it receives more than 50,000 movie fans at home and abroad every year, and it is from here that Yunmeng shadow puppetry goes to China and goes abroad.
The picture shows Qin Ligang performing a shadow play by Wang Fang
Entering the "Mengze Movie Theater", a curtain divides the exhibition hall into two. There are 10 rows of benches in the auditorium outside the curtain. Qin Ligang said that before the epidemic, the performances here were overcrowded and hard to find. "The'rule' of the theater is to'start the gong' at 11:30 in the morning, and'should the gong' at 2:30 in the afternoon. Except for New Year's Eve, the performance will not move for 3 hours every day."
On the inside of the curtain is the performance stage, and about 2 square meters of space is covered with costumes and character props made by Qin Ligang himself. "My shadow puppets reincarnated once every 5 years, every day. The story goes from "The Romance of the Gods" to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and then to the Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty." Between Fangcun, vivid historical stories were unfolded before the audience.
The picture shows Qin Ligang performing a shadow play by Wang Fang
The Yunmeng shadow play not only fascinated the locals, but also attracted many overseas fans. In recent years, many film fans from Europe, Africa and other places have come to the "Mengze Shadow Theater" to see the charm of shadow puppetry; Qin Ligang and his Yunmeng shadow puppetry have also received more and more attention and welcome overseas. Was invited to France and the United States for exhibitions and teaching.
The picture shows the audience enjoying the shadow puppet show "119 Impressing Sun Dasheng" at Mengze Shadow Theater. Photographed by Wang Fang
"China's ancient traditional culture is extremely valuable and attractive." However, with the development of TV and movies, shadow puppetry has drifted away in people's lives. How to "rescue" traditional art? "Only when more and more people like it can it be passed on." Qin Ligang said.
The picture shows the character props made by Qin Ligang and photo by Wang Fang
Qin Ligang decided to innovate on the basis of traditional shadow puppetry, integrating current affairs hotspots, daily life, animation and animation into it. During the epidemic prevention and control period, he used the form of shadow play to spread the "epidemic prevention code", admonishing everyone to "wash hands frequently and wear masks"; recently, he created a fire-fighting theme script "119 Persuading Sun Dasheng". The image of the company will convey fire safety knowledge to more people and enhance fire safety awareness.”
The picture shows the fans who came to Mengze Movie Theater to watch the play Wang Fang
"Perseverance and inheritance are only for the deep cultivation of traditional cultural soil." Qin Ligang said that it is the unshirkable responsibility of non-genetic inheritors to carry forward the ancient Chinese traditional art and go abroad. (Finish)