Puppet show (Jinjiang puppet show)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Puppet Show (Jinjiang puppet show)

Applicant: Jinjiang City, Fujian Province

Item No.: 236

Project No.: Ⅳ - 92

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Drama

Region: Fujian Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Jinjiang City, Fujian Province

Protection unit: Jinjiang palm puppet art protection and inheritance Center

Brief introduction of puppet show (Jinjiang puppet show)

Applicant: Jinjiang City, Fujian Province

Puppet opera, known as "puppet opera" and "puppet", is a form of opera in which puppets perform stories by artists.

China's puppet opera rose in the Han Dynasty, to the Tang Dynasty has a new development and improvement, can use puppets to perform song and dance drama. Song Dynasty is an important period for the development of puppet show in China, and the puppet production technology and manipulation skills are further mature. With the development of social economy, the puppet show of Ming Dynasty has been popular all over the country, and the puppet show of the economically developed southern provinces and regions is more prosperous, so there is a saying of "good puppet in the South". After the Qing Dynasty, puppet show entered its heyday. It was not only popular in a wide range, but also showed more and more vocal performances. There appeared western Liaoning puppet show, Zhangzhou puppet show, Quanzhou string puppet show, Jinjiang puppet show, Shaoyang puppet show, Gaozhou puppet show, Chaozhou Tiezhi puppet show, North Sichuan puppet show, Shiqian puppet show, yangstring puppet show, Taishun YaoFa puppet show There are many branches such as opera, Lingao puppet show and so on. As far as the form of performance is concerned, it can be summarized as five kinds: string puppet, stick head puppet, bag puppet, iron branch puppet and medicine hair puppet.

The art of puppet is so beautiful that it's amazing. In addition to the wonderful performances of the artists, the perfect puppet plastic arts and operating equipment are also an important aspect to attract the audience. Plastic arts focus on the carving and design of puppets. Generally speaking, the modeling of string puppets is relatively high, mostly about 2.2 feet. Key parts are decorated with lifting lines, up to more than 30, at least more than 10, such as stunt performances also need to add a number of auxiliary lifting lines. The level of puppet performers' various dance movements and martial arts skills completely depends on the artist's operating skills, which is the key to the level of puppet performance art. The head of the staff puppet is higher than the string puppet. Generally, the height of the puppet is about 3 feet. It is equipped with three operating lines, two of which pull hands, and one dominates the head and body. The puppet with the smallest shape, only about 7 inches, relies on the artist's two hands to hold up the performance. The operation skill is special, which is different from the string and stick puppet.

Since the founding of the people's Republic of China, puppet shows have become more colorful. In addition to performing traditional opera programs, they also perform drama, song and dance drama, series, and even advertisements. At the same time, puppet show is also facing fierce competition with other art forms. Traditional puppet shows contain the ideology, morality and aesthetic consciousness of the people of all regions and nationalities, which should be supported and protected.

Jinjiang puppet show is the southern puppet show, which refers to the puppet show in Quanzhou area. It is different from Zhangzhou northern puppet show in singing the tune of spring. In July 1951, the puppet show in South Fujian was named "puppet show in the palm", which is a rare kind of puppet show in China.

Nanpai puppet opera is popular in Southern Fujian, and its origin can be traced back to the historical records in shiyiji of Jin Dynasty, Huashu of Five Dynasties and Yuanri of Si Mo of Southern Song Dynasty. From the middle of Ming Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, it was the period of the rise and development of Nanpai puppet opera. According to folklore and Taiwan annals, puppet opera rose in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty, and its founder was Liang Binglin, who was later known as the "number one actor in opera". In the middle of Qing Dynasty, puppet shows in Jinjiang and other places flourished and spread to Taiwan. At the same time, Li kecha and other famous artists appeared. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, some famous puppet troupes in Quanzhou County sprang up one after another, such as the "five tigers Troupe" in Southern Fujian during the reign of Tongzhi and Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. During the period of the Republic of China, puppet troupes in Anxi, Hui'an and other places almost spread throughout the county. However, on the eve of the founding of the people's Republic of China, because of the economic recession, the puppet troupes in Quanzhou County were in a difficult situation.

After the founding of the people's Republic of China, Nanpai puppet opera gained a new life. In the 1950s, Jinjiang and other counties organized the excavation and recording of more than 200 puppet operas and music tunes. Since the new era, Nanpai puppet opera has been further developed, and its main carrier is Jinjiang puppet opera company. Over the past 50 years, the troupe has performed in Beijing many times. Participated in drama competitions and International Puppet Festival, and won provincial and national awards. The plays "White Dragon Princess" and "five mile rainbow" won the awards of the Ministry of culture and the 9th Wenhua award.

The Nanpai puppet show has the characteristics of eclecticism, drawing on the strengths of others, and obvious regional cultural characteristics. Its artistic style is unique, and the division of roles is meticulous. The head of puppet carving has both shape and spirit. Its performance is delicate and vivid. It is deeply loved by the audience. However, due to the influence of the current commodity economy, this traditional art form has been constantly impacted. If it is not protected, it will face the crisis of extinction.