China News Service, Chengdu, August 17th (Shan Peng, Zeng Suyang) The lights dimmed, the music played, and on the yellowed curtain, figures, animals, houses and other shadow play props appeared in sequence, and the magical world of light and shadow gradually appeared in front of the audience. show.
In the tense and enthusiastic sound of gongs and drums, the shadow puppet props went up to the ground.
Recently, a wonderful Sichuan shadow puppet show was staged in Chengdu China Shadow Puppet Museum (Chengdu Museum).
Sichuan shadow puppets have a long history. They are not only influenced by shadow puppet culture such as Shaanxi shadow puppets, but also have local colors such as Shu brocade, Shu embroidery and folk paper-cutting. They are eclectic and form a unique artistic style.
In recent years, as Sichuan has increased its efforts to collect and protect shadow puppets, accelerated the cultivation of shadow puppet production and performance of non-genetic inheritors, and promoted the activation of shadow puppet cultural relics, the once dwindling shadow puppet art has gradually regained its splendor.
"Rescue": Only more than 600 shadow puppets can be repaired a year
In Chengdu, Sichuan, as the only special shadow puppet museum in the country named "China", the Chengdu Museum brings together nearly 300,000 fine shadow puppets from 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country, forming the world's largest collection, the oldest and the most diverse. The complete and best quality shadow puppet collection.
For a long time, the value of puppets and shadow puppet cultural relics scattered in the folk has not been known to the public, and due to the difficult preservation of materials, the loss of important cultural relics to overseas and the huge impact of modern art on folk art, shadow puppet cultural relics and their art forms are in the on the verge of extinction.
In order to rescue this traditional folk art, the Chengdu Museum launched a shadow puppet collection as early as 20 years ago.
The Chengdu Museum's Puppet Special Exhibition Hall.
Photo by Wang Lei
"The shadow puppet collection of the Chengdu Museum has received the help of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the China Cultural Relics Information Consultation Center, the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, as well as the puppet shadow puppet professional academy and non-genetic inheritors. However, there are still many obstacles in the collection process. Li Long, a research librarian at the Chengdu Museum and director of the Shadow Puppet Department, recalled that many shadow puppet collectors or shadow puppet artists were reluctant to hand over shadow puppets to the museum at first. Treasures are the best destination, and the collection work will proceed smoothly."
At that time, the shadow puppets scattered among the people also suffered from a large number of natural damage problems such as dampness and body damage.
A considerable part of the shadow puppets collected from all over the world are pieces in the form of flakes. "The primary task at that time was to restore the shadow puppets. Five or six people had to face tens of thousands of residual shadow puppets. It often took a year of sorting and repairing. , there are only more than 600 shadow puppet works recovered." Li Long said.
In order to permanently protect these unique and charming art treasures, Chengdu Museum conducts constant temperature and humidity control, mildew-proof and insect-proof treatment, and regular status inspection on shadow puppet cultural relics, and establishes a long-term mechanism for the protection of shadow puppet cultural relics.
Li Xianglin, a professor at Sichuan University and vice president of the Sichuan Folklore Association, said that the collection and protection of shadow puppets in Sichuan has achieved good results.
"In terms of shadow puppet collection, Chengdu Museum, Sichuan University Museum, Langzhong Wang Shadow Play Museum, etc. have carried out extensive collection of shadow puppet objects, and carried out sorting and research work; in the recommendation of intangible cultural heritage projects, Sichuan pays more attention to folk shadow puppets, and Sichuan's Wang shadow puppets , He Jiaban's shadow puppet, etc. have been selected into the list of intangible cultural heritage protection."
Display: Make shadow puppet cultural relics "live"
Walking into the special exhibition hall of shadow puppets on the fifth floor of the Chengdu Museum, the first cultural relic that catches your eye is a shadow puppet collection called "Bai Na Yi".
Under the yellowed animal skin, the traces of needle and thread repair and paint filling are clearly visible, which is enough to show the inheritance history of this shadow puppet.
In this exhibition hall, 2140 pieces/sets of shadow puppets selected from nearly 300,000 shadow puppets are dazzling, 20 shadow puppet drama stories and 2760 minutes of classic plays are dizzying, and the artistic scene combining movement and stillness brings out the beauty of light and shadow To the extreme, it attracts audiences of all ages. Since its inception, more than 13 million people have visited the exhibition.
In 2021, this exhibition won the "Top Ten Exhibition Excellence Award" of the 18th (2020) National Museum.
The Chengdu Museum's Puppet Special Exhibition Hall.
Photo by Wang Lei
"Every shadow puppet cultural relic is a treasure of our traditional culture, but it is not enough to keep it. Through the exhibition, the audience deeply appreciates the charm of shadow puppet culture and is deeply intoxicated by it." Deputy Director of Chengdu Museum Huang Xiaofeng said that while disseminating this traditional culture with wonderful exhibitions, how to make shadow puppet cultural relics "live" and how to make the audience feel the contemporary charm of shadow puppets is an important topic for the new generation of "shadow puppet artists" to study.
To this end, Chengdu Museum combined with the "Treasure of the Town Hall" Tianfu Shixi to create the original shadow play "Legend of Lingxi"; created more than 300 kinds of shadow play cultural creative products, making creative cultural creations into living cultural relics; promoted the cross between shadow play and game animation Linked to the world, the lively and interesting shadow puppet micro-animation "Daily Life in Penglai" was born.
At the same time, Chengdu Museum also brings shadow puppet culture into the urban commercial body, empowering urban space with culture; even going abroad to hold exhibitions and cultural events in Serbia, Morocco, etc. The oriental culture and light and shadow art conveyed by shadow puppets have conquered countless overseas audiences heart of.
Inheritance: How can shadow puppets attract more young people?
In order to increase the attraction of cultural relics to young people, Chengdu Museum has launched the "Weekend Children's Museum", a night activity for young people.
Among the colorful experience projects, shadow puppetry is one of the most popular elements. The shadow puppet art, which was once popular in China, has once again built a cultural paradise for children.
The Chengdu Museum's Puppet Special Exhibition Hall.
Photo by Wang Lei
"Many new shadow puppet plays are in fairy tale style and are very popular among children. After the performance, we will also teach them how to operate the bamboo sticks to make the shadow play move." The 70-year-old Sichuan intangible cultural heritage shadow puppet inheritor Although Liang Kaitong has been retired for many years, he still makes "guest appearances" in museums from time to time.
He said that he was very pleased to see that the traditional shadow puppet art was accepted and loved by the younger generation.
"In general, there are still fewer young people learning shadow puppetry." Liang Kaitong admitted that shadow puppetry is not easy to learn, especially with fingers; a large set of equipment for shadow puppet performances requires a lot of effort. There are also well-made manual shadow puppets, "shadow puppets" (curtains, brackets and lamps used for shadow puppet performances) and more than ten pairs of shadow puppet operating rods.
In addition, problems such as insufficient funds for the puppet shadow puppet theater group and the high academic pressure of young people are also the real problems that plague the "younger" shadow puppet art.
"Shadow puppet art has a long history and is the crystallization of traditional Chinese culture. From the perspective of continuing excellent traditional culture and promoting cultural diversity, it is of great significance to protect and inherit traditional art with folk flavor and down-to-earth like shadow puppetry." Li Xianglin suggested that more shadow puppets should be added. The exhibition venue can better meet the needs of the public to watch shadow puppet art.
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