Chapter 12 Section IV Puppets

A puppet is a kind of woodcut portrait, also known as Muyu.Puppetry was originally a kind of handicraft in ancient my country. Later, actors used it to perform plays, so it became a very popular performing art in ancient my country, called "puppet show" or "puppet show". Puppets originated very early in our country. "Liezi·Tang Wen" said that when Zhou Mu was king, a musician brought actors to perform for him, "singing in rhythm, dancing in harmony with the festival", but when you untie it, it turns out that it is a wooden man tied with leather.This kind of wooden man is actually a puppet.Of course, "Liezi·Tang Wen" said that the puppet had already been produced when King Mu of Zhou was born, which is not necessarily accurate.However, judging from the archaeological findings, the appearance of puppets in our country will not be later than the Warring States period at the latest.Many wooden figurines have been unearthed in the ancient tombs of the Warring States period. They have painted faces, are dressed in clothes, and some of them can move their limbs. These are probably puppets.There is not much difference between puppets and figurines. The only difference between them is whether it is used as a display, a toy, or a funeral object.

The puppets in the Han Dynasty in my country were relatively developed. In 1978, archaeologists discovered a large puppet figure in the Han Dynasty Tomb in Laixi, Shandong Province. It was 193 cm tall. Each part of the joint has a mortise and tenon joint and is scored with a split symbol.The production of such a puppet requires a considerable level, because this kind of large puppet not only requires accurate shape, but also strictly calculates the mechanical performance of each joint. It is impossible to make it without certain skills. The use of puppets to perform puppet shows is said to have originated in the Han Dynasty.Du You's "Tong Dian" in the Tang Dynasty said, "Being a puppet to play, good at singing and dancing, is also a funeral music, and it was used in Jiahui at the end of the Han Dynasty."It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Ma Jun created slender and exquisite puppets and performed various skills, so he won the reputation of "the world's famous artifice", which is very credible.Ma Jun is a well-known craftsman. If the puppet he made can kneel and sit at will like the puppet found in Laixi, Shandong, it is not difficult to manipulate it to perform various skills.What's more, marionettes (string puppets) were invented in the Han Dynasty. It is conceivable to move the puppets with hands.

The Tang Dynasty was a period of development of puppet making and puppet shows.Two puppet heads were unearthed from the Tang tomb in Astana, Turpan, Xinjiang, wearing gauze caps and jieshi (ze shi) respectively.According to records, puppet shows in the Tang Dynasty were "popular in Luli", and there were already stick-head puppets and well-developed string puppets.Stick-head puppets use a joystick to manipulate the puppet to perform various actions, and only half of the puppet is exposed outside the screen; string puppets use strings to manipulate the puppet, and the whole body of the puppet is exposed during the performance, which is more complicated to make.According to Tang Fengyan's "Feng Shi's Experience and Hearing Records", during the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty, puppet show performers "carved wood for Yuchi Egong and Turkic fighting generals, and the movements of the mechanism are no different from life."This shows that the puppet show has performed the battle between Yu Chigong and the Turks, which shows the high level of performers at that time.

During the Song Dynasty, there were more types of puppet shows, such as staff puppets, string puppets, medicine hair puppets and water puppets.Yaofa puppetry is a puppet show with fireworks during the performance, and the performance is relatively lively; water puppetry is a puppet show in which the stage is set on a boat, and puppets perform fishing, rowing, batting and dancing.Due to the development of puppet shows in the Song Dynasty, there were many famous performers. According to the records of Song Wu Zimu's "Meng Liang Lu", at that time, "all puppets played smoke powder, ghosts, iron cavalry, and public case history books. Or as Zaju, or like Yaci. Those who are like hanging silk puppets originated from the story of Chen Ping’s six wonders to rescue. Today there are Jinxian Doctor Lu, Chen Zhongxi, etc., making it look like the real one, and the one who walks the thread is especially good... Among the water puppets are Yao Yuxian, Sai Baoge, Wang Ji, Jin Shihao, etc., who caused a lot of sympathy and mourning. At the same time, there are a lot of water plays, with the tendency of coming and going, dancing on a large scale, and the changes of fish and dragons are vivid. god". "Old Stories of Wulin" also records that Ren Xiaosan, a well-known stick-head puppet artist at that time, performed "a small drama for the first time" every night, and he could not see his performance if he went late. In 1977, two three-color magnetic pillows of the Song Dynasty were unearthed in Jiyuan, Henan. Two portraits of puppet shows were painted on them. A puppet show with strings. There are three boys in the painting. The boy on the left sits on the ground, holds a gong in his left hand, and strikes with a stick in his right hand.A boy in the middle is playing the flute, with his left foot raised, as if playing and beating the beat.The boy on the right stretches his waist and holds a stick in his right hand. An old puppet hangs from three silk threads on the stick, trying to imitate the image of a puppet artist pulling a string to move a puppet.Although these two pictures are children's games and not real puppet performances, they vividly reflect the prevalence and popularity of puppets in the Song Dynasty.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, puppet shows spread all over the country.Some folk artists walked the streets and alleys, supported a box-shaped stage with a pole, covered it with curtains, and immediately beat gongs and drums, performed and sang.During this period, puppet shows appeared again such as "cloth bag puppets" (putting puppets on the hands of artists for performances), "iron wire puppets" (using bamboo tubes to cover iron branches to manipulate puppets to perform), and there were also different forms of making puppets. It has been greatly improved, which is the result of the increasing popularity of puppets among the people.

A puppet is a three-in-one combination of games, stories, and toys, and the puppet "actor" is a toy, so the production of a puppet needs to be personalized, face-painted, and toy-like, and it must be interesting and dexterous.The production of puppets in my country has a very artistic tradition. The production of puppet heads is generally made of hollowed out wood, the body is tied with bamboo strips, and the limbs are woven with ramie.The production of the puppet head is very complicated. After the wood is sawed into a blank, it is necessary to draw the midline of the face, define the facial features, and cut out the cheeks. After carving, install the movable mouth and eyes. Glue, retouching, painting, waxing, bearding, etc.The form of the puppet head varies from place to place in my country. Some use "Liyuan opera face make-up", some use "Peking opera face make-up", and some use "Hakka tune face make-up". However, no matter which form is used, it must be toy. , can be used for desk display, which is a basic principle of puppet modeling.

The "performance" of puppets is entirely borne by the puppet performers. Therefore, the puppet performers must be familiar with the characters of the characters in the play and express them through continuous actions. This requires the author to practice hard on the premise of mastering the plot. , Every move must be just right.Most of the puppet artists in ancient my country were poor people, living in the streets and acting for a living, so their names are mostly unknown. However, the art they created has taken root among the people. This should be the best commemoration for them.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, puppets in Fujian and Guangdong in southern my country were very famous.Among Fujian puppets, Quanzhou marionettes are the most distinctive.Quanzhou puppets are exquisitely made, and the shapes of the characters are similar to those of the Tang Dynasty, and the performance is also difficult.In the past, puppet shows were hired for weddings, funerals, and festivals in cities and villages in southern Fujian.As the saying goes in Quanzhou, the front shed is "gali" and the back shed is "play" (the marionette is called "gali" in southern Hokkien, and "play" refers to the puppet show in the palm, that is, "puppet puppet"), which means that Quanzhou puppets are widely popular. Case.The performances of Quanzhou puppet show are mostly opera stories and folklore. It is well-known in Fujian, Taiwan and Southeast Asia for its exquisite and graceful shapes and colorful facial makeup.

There are many varieties of puppets in Guangdong, including stick heads, iron wires, round body paper shadows, bamboo window paper shadows, strings, and cloth bags.Guangdong puppets have various shapes and different operations. For example, Chaoshan puppets are slender, Dongjiang puppets are fine, and Wuhua puppets are extensive; Hainan stick-head puppets bend their elbows when operating, and Lingao puppets appear at the same time when operating, each with its own local characteristics. Taishun, Zhejiang is also a well-known hometown of puppets. In recent years, a group of 34 puppet heads from the Ming and Qing Dynasties have been discovered in the county.This batch of puppet heads, in addition to the general roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, etc., there are also special heads of specific characters such as Baogong, Guan Yu, Kuixing, Three-eyed Emperor, Shunfeng Er, etc. The helmets are all carved with wood. Lively and generous, with distinct local characteristics.