Hengshan has had shadow play performance troupes since the Ming Dynasty, and later it became popular and spread throughout Hengshan County and surrounding areas. Since the shadow figures made by Hengshan artists in the early days were mostly paper shadows, it was called "shadow play" instead of shadow puppetry. In the old days, shadow play was a one-person troupe, and later developed into a two-person troupe and a multi-person troupe. The singing and dialogue of shadow play are all Hengshan dialect. Hengshan County is located in the eastern part of Hunan Province, the northern part of Hengyang City, and the middle reaches of the Xiangjiang River. Hengshan shadow play has been active in this vast land since the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In 2006, Hengshan shadow play was identified as the first batch of intangible cultural heritage list items in Hunan Province. Hengshan shadow play is widely spread throughout Hengshan County and surrounding areas, and is deeply loved by the people. Hengshan shadow play first appeared along the Xiangjiang River, and later gradually spread to the inland. Most of the early artists were boat people. Boatmen use boats as their homes and travel to Changsha, Yuanjiang River, Hankou and Jiujiang all year round. They row their boats when there is no wind and set sail when there is wind. They learn to sing fishing drum lyrics and exhortations while lying on the boat. Influenced by the shadow play outside, they cut Bodhisattvas (shadow figures) out of paper to combine singing with acting. Since the Bodhisattvas made by Hengshan artists are mostly paper shadows, not complete shadow puppets, they are called "shadow play" instead of shadow play. The singing and dialogue of the four major schools of Hengshan shadow play are all in the Hengshan dialect. Hengshan shadow play is divided into four major schools based on region: Shanghe School, Zhonghe School, Xiahe School and Shanghengshan School, thus forming four artistic styles. The Shanghe School sings in a high-pitched voice, with sharp pronunciations. It likes to sing five-character sentences such as shouting, with more dialects and lyrics close to life; its gongs and drums are relatively simple, and are mainly played with long mallets; most of the performances are "bridge plays" (a folk performance form of Chinese opera, that is, a play performed according to the story summary and outline of the drama and the fixed profession program). The Zhonghe School is the main school of Hengshan shadow play, with a wide region, many artists and the largest audience. The main tune of the Zhonghe School is Siping tune, which has formed Yinping, Yangping, Lianping and Siping slow tune, number of boards, music tune, angry tune, sad tune, Siping fishing drum tune, etc., with rich and unique singing tunes. Its gongs and drums are strictly standardized, and the shadow play performances are exquisite. The popular area of the Xiahe School borders Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, so its dialect is close to Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, forming its own school. The shadow play of Xiahe School has many written bridges (performance outlines), attaches importance to singing, elegant lyrics, pays attention to rhythm, and is good at singing literary drama. The Xiahe School is not widespread, but there are many artists. The area where the shadow play of Shanghengshan School is spread borders You County, and You County has a strong dialect. People in Xiahengshan cannot understand the language of Shangshan, so the shadow play has also become a school of its own. There are many illiterate artists in the shadow play of Shanghengshan School, so all of them sing bridge plays, with more martial arts plays; there are more "Nuoyuan plays". This kind of "Nuoyuan play" is usually performed in front of the Tuwang Temple for 37 nights; when singing "Investiture of the Gods", it can last for half a month. Artistic characteristics In the old days, Hengshan shadow play also had its own guild "Laolanghui", which was located in the Tianfu Temple in Wuji, Hengshan. June 24th of each year is the birthday of the ancestor Laolang, and the members of the guild must come to hold a sacrifice. Hengshan shadow play, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, was performed as "one person plays a set of gongs and drums, and one person plays a stage of Bodhisattva", and in modern times, it was mostly a two-person class. The two-person team has one person "holding the bridge" on the front stage, manipulating the shadow and singing; the other person plays a set of percussion instruments in the backstage. They play and sing at the same time. The two people work together to perform a large drama with dozens of characters. After 1955, a three-person team appeared, with one person specializing in orchestral music, one person manipulating the shadow, and one person playing percussion instruments. The luggage box of Hengshan shadow play is less than 30 kilograms, and the front box contains 5060 shadows of various types. Hengshan shadow play has been perfect in the production of shadows from the initial simplicity, and has continuously absorbed the essence of paper cutting, painting, carving and other arts. Its shape is beautiful, lifelike and very realistic. The shadows are divided into the "body" of the characters, that is, the "body" of the robes, palace clothes, casual clothes, soldiers, flesh and monkeys that constitute the body shape of the characters, the "head" that constitutes the facial appearance of the characters, the "hat" that constitutes the identity of the characters, and various props and weapons. The back box is dedicated to various musical instruments and instrument stands. In addition, there is a "bright window" (also known as "mengzi") for shadow play performances outside the suitcase. In the old days, the mengzi was pasted on the fir frame with earthen paper, and later it was replaced with white cloth. The support of the shadow stage is made of bamboo poles and wooden sticks, commonly known as "handles"; 4 wooden sticks are used as pillars, and 24 bamboo poles of different lengths support the entire shadow stage. The stage occupies less than 2 square meters. In the old days, a large kerosene lamp was enough for shadow play; after electricity, a 60-100 watt light bulb can be connected to the power supply to perform. The "head" of Hengshan shadow play is made of calf skin that is dried and ground thin. Generally, the faces of different characters are painted on the dry skin, the colors are applied, and the shape is carved, and then coated with raw tung oil. In the 1950s, artists began to use photographic negatives and slide glue to make head pieces. The body shapes of Hengshan shadow play are all made of "shell paper". The material of shell paper is a kind of earthen paper called "Guan Dao Paper", which is mostly produced by the local earthen paper workshop in Yanglin Doulongchong. To make shell paper, paste with alum is used, and the ratio of alum to flour is 1:10. Alum is added to prevent insects and rats from biting, and secondly, it is moisture-proof and mildew-proof. Shell paper is made by repeatedly stacking and bonding Guan Dao paper on a clean door panel and drying it. Five layers of shell paper are used to make the body and hat of the shadow figure, and seven layers of shell paper are used to make the body and props of the black figure. After the shell paper is dried, it is flattened with glass or wood. Then, the artist draws, cuts and carves on the shell paper. The tool for Hengshan shadow play carving is a pad called "oil pan" or "wax pan". The oil pan is made of butter and sheep fat; the wax pan is made of beeswax. When the pad made of "oil pan" or "wax pan" is used to carve paper patterns, first, the knife is loose, so it can be carved through; second, the knife will not be blunt; third, the pad is durable and can be used repeatedly for two or three years. The carving knives of Hengshan shadow play are all homemade, and are generally made by grinding waste steel saw blades on oilstone. After the shadow pattern is carved, the various parts are installed, and the sticks are operated, the paper pattern is coated with raw tung oil or transparent lacquer and then dried. The oiled paper pattern is moisture-proof and durable. The performance content of Hengshan shadow play is very wide, and the content is mostly traditional drama. Ordinary artists can sing hundreds of repertoires; some famous artists can sing thousands of repertoires. Some consecutive plays can be sung for several days to half a month, such as "Investiture of the Gods", "Journey to the West", "Records of the States", "Romance of the Western Han Dynasty", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Conquest of the East", "Conquest of the West", "Pingnan", "Sweeping the North", "Fenzhuanglou", "The Biography of Yue Fei", "Bao Gong's Case", "The Generals of the Yang Family", etc. After the founding of New China, Hengshan Shadow Play has participated in provincial and municipal folk art or drama performances many times, and most of the performances are self-created plays, such as "The Mouse Complains", "Two Friends", "Eliminating the Four Pests", "Competition", "Pipa Enters the Palace", "Yang Libei", "I'm Really Sorry", etc. The unique Hengshan Shadow Play has aroused great interest from all walks of life and foreign scholars. The Journal of the Theater Museum of Waseda University in Japan published a large amount of graphic materials on Hengshan Shadow Play. Experts at the provincial and municipal levels in Hunan have also analyzed and demonstrated Hengshan Shadow Play, believing that Hengshan Shadow Play, as a microcosm of the traditions, folk customs, and regional culture of the Hengshan area, plays a vital role in the study of the history of local drama and local folk art in Hunan. In 2006, Hengshan Shadow Play was identified as the first batch of intangible cultural heritage list projects in Hunan Province. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)