Clowns play Wen Chou or Wu Chou in China's traditional dramas, Wen Chou is also called Xiao Hua Face or Hua San Eyelid, and Wu Chou is also called Kaitiao. Wen Chou is divided into official Wen Chou, square towel ugly, tea ugly, towel ugly and colorful Dan.

Legend has it that Ming Chengzu was a clown when he was acting in the Tang Dynasty. Because of the emperor's identity, it is inconvenient to move, so the emperor specially hung a piece of white jade on his face. Over time, the clown's face left a piece of white, which is the white "tofu block" on the face painted by the clown on today's opera stage.

Of course, this is just a legend. In the long-term development of China traditional opera, clown makeup has gradually formed a complete and systematic set of facial makeup according to the differences and differences of characters' identity, age, personality and behavior.

Such as waist-shaped powder face, round powder face, jujube powder face, Zheng powder face, ingot powder face, ugly old face, ugly broken face, broken face, wiped face, pictographic face and so on. The most typical example is the ugly square towel, and the center of the face is outlined with white powder-a white powder face of "tofu block", so the audience will know that the actor is a clown as soon as they see this "tofu block".

Extended data

Kunqu opera attaches importance to clowns, which is also manifested in the fact that all the stage figures played in this line have their own unique performance requirements and "unique skills". For example, Facong in Fu Chou's Romance of the West Chamber emphasizes the white mouth; Zhang Wenyuan in "Ten Song Dynasties, but captured alive" did heavy work.

Jiang's poem in Lin is better than his singing. The clown Zhao Qi's "Five Poisons Play" is more distinctive. It vividly imitates the forms of five poisonous animals through the special performances of characters.

For example, in Yanling Armor, the time shift is like a gecko stealing armor; in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, the spy is like a centipede; in Evil Sea Down the Mountain, the young monk is like a toad; in Six in Snow Sheep Belly, it is like a snake; and in Uncle Wu, Wu Dalang is like a spider.

In these plays, clowns are not only gagged and funny, but also see the skills and characters in humorous performances. There is a proverb in the field of opera that praises ugliness: "Nothing is ugly."

Baidu Encyclopedia-Appreciating Ugliness (Main Business of China Opera Performance)