At the northernmost tip of Qingyang Prefecture and the border area between Shaanxi,Gansu and Ningxia Provinces,Huanxian County is full of hills and gullies in the loess plateau in eastern Gansu.A series of hills undulate and ravines and gullies crisscross on the county’s nearly 10,000 square kilometers.The famous Daoqing silhouettes can be seen here.
ccording to legend,silhouettes originated in the Western Han Dynasty(206 BC–AD 25).One year,Madame Li,a most favored concubine of Liu Che,Emperor Wudi(reigned 140–87 BC),passed away.Grieving,the emperor sought consolation from necromancy.A necromancer by the name of Qi Shaoweng meticulously cut out a portrait of Madame Li and lit up a candle in a square tent,thus reflecting Mme.Li’s shadow on one side.Emperor Wudi could see from another tent that her shadow flickered,lifelike.Later,the secret“formula”spread gradually among the people and evolved into the silhouette show. By the Song Dynasty,silhouette shows had become a popular form of entertainment.In the Ming and Qing dynasties silhouette shows were widespread and many different schools were formed,each with its own features.
Boasting a history of mor e than 300 years,the silhouette show of Huanxian County started in the late Ming Dynasty or the early Qing Dynasty.When it was put on the stage in Italy in 1987,it was honored as being“a magical art from the Orient.”
Silhouettes are the main stage prop in a silhouette show.They are mostly carved from the skins of donkeys,cattle,sheep and goats.The workmanship is extremely fastidious.The skins undergo many processes,including soaking,bluing,drying in the shade and being scraped with a knife,before they can be carved.In making a silhouette,the artisan cleverly employs paper-cutting,which relies on“hollowing.”First,a stencil pen defines the pattern on an oxhide and then cutting tools carve or chisel it.After this the hide is applied with colors—mainly black,red,yellow and green.A sharp contrast between the warm and cool colors allows the colors of the silhouette to be that much more saturated and gorgeous.After it is colored,the silhouette is ironed.Traditionally,two smooth bricks are heated and the silhouette is placed carefully into a wet cloth and then inserted between the two bricks for about half an hour.After the silhouette is thus ironed,it is varnished to seal the colors and then the poles used in manipulating the silhouettes,usually three,are mounted on the chest and hands.
Silhouettes include human figures,flowers and plants,birds and beasts,pagodas and towers,fairies and ghosts or monsters.The joints of the human figures are linked with thread or such material that allows the figures to sway deftly.Such a silhouette is particularly suitable for performing complicated movements such as acrobatic fighting.The silhouette roles can be divided into heroes, villains,scholars and soldiers.They are characterized obviously and once you see the facial makeup you will know its role.
The silhouette performance is an elegant art among the people in China.