Shadow play will be good-looking, but it is very skillful.
This article will take you to understand Tangshan culture and shadow play culture. Let's have a look!
Tangshan shadow play, also known as Luanzhou shadow play and Laoting shadow play, is also called donkey shadow play because its shadow characters and props are made of cattle and donkey skins. Listening to its sound and observing its shape all reveal the spirit of the elderly in Tangshan. Shadow play is performed by setting up a screen, commonly known as a shadow window. Actors manipulate shadow puppeteers to perform various vivid performances, as well as voice singing, lighting, scenery and music.
Shadow play originated in Luanzhou and Laoting. According to legend, during the Wanli period, there was a failed student in Luanzhou, surnamed Huang, whose first name (address is unknown). He is a versatile man, not only has a good literary talent, but also is proficient in painting and sculpture. However, he was unlucky and tried every time, so he returned to his hometown. He went out to study in Shenyang, where he taught children in several villages to live. During this leisurely time, he gradually made his own contribution to the creation of film art.
From the mid-Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, the giant, Zhang's Zhongxing Hall, Liu Hetang, Cui and other shadow play classes in Laoting had the largest scale and the best results, and there were many famous shadow play artists with far-reaching influence. Famous artists such as Zhang Shengwu and Zhang Zhanke from Houlaoting joined the Laoting film class, and Laoting films became more and more famous. At that time, there were Baigezhuang Yang Rongjiu Shadow Play Class, Donghuangtuo Long Zhengang Shadow Play Class and Xixinzhuang Chen Shadow Play Class. At that time, there were many folk shadow play classes, which pushed the development of shadow play to a new stage.
In 1930s, Laotingying performed in Shenyang, Changchun and other big cities, which was warmly welcomed by the audience and spread to Japan, North Korea and other countries. Zhang Shengwu, Zhang Zhanke and other famous shadow puppeteers were invited to make a large number of records at home and abroad, which made the basin of shadow puppetry wider and some vocals preserved.
Characteristics of shadow play in Tangshan
Tangshan shadow play is a small, raw, long-bearded, big and ugly world with rich roles. Carve complex but not chaotic, dense but not miscellaneous. Fine work requires fine knife techniques, such as broaching, pushing, turning, frustration, open knife, dark knife and so on. It's really accurate, fast and stable. A well-made shadow people should not only be flexible and comfortable, but also be consistent with people's every move in life. All kinds of routines are clean and neat, and the hands are really good.
The vocal method of Tangshan shadow play is very strange. When singing, the actor pinches his throat with his fingers to pronounce, and the squeezed voice has a special color, which is properly integrated with the image and movements of the shadow puppeteer, forming a special style of Tangshan shadow play. Different from other shadow plays, it has the following characteristics: first, the producers use donkey skin to carve and have unique manipulation skills; The second is to sing white in Luanle dialect, and the language is easy to understand; The third is the singing method of choking; Fourthly, it has a unique singing style, such as Zhang Shengwu's Harbin accent.
Over the past few decades, Tangshan shadow play has spread all over the country, even overseas, and it is unprecedented everywhere, so that people in Europe, America, Japan and other countries regard Tangshan shadow play as synonymous with Chinese shadow play.