Puppet shows & shadow plays 木偶戏与皮影戏

张洪平

木偶戏是用木偶来表演故事的戏剧，是中国传统艺术之一，在中国古代又称傀儡戏。皮影戏，是一种用兽皮或纸板做成的人物剪影表演的民间戏剧。

Puppet performances of various types were popular in China. There were several forms of puppet theaters in China. The Chinese puppet theaters come in four forms： marionettes （牵线木偶） on strings or wires， rod（杆） puppets， shadow plays， and hand manipulated （操控） glove?type puppets.

Marionette theater

Marionettes were usually carved from pieces of wood， and the assembled parts are hung on strings. Chinese marionette plays are mostly performed in the open air without a curtain to conceal the puppeteers， unlike the common practice in the West， and spectators can see both the performances and the performers from the three sides of the stage. In the West， the audiences usually expect the performers to be hidden.

There were religious aspects to Chinese marionette plays， and there might still be to some extent.

Marionette performances or other types of puppet theaters were often outside of temples or shrines and used for instruction of religion.

Rod puppetry

Chinese rod puppets are puppets that are manipulated by three rods. The puppets may be small or even life?size. Performers used to wear special traditional theatric robes with big sleeves so that the rods were somewhat hidden， but modern performers tend to let their hands and rods show.

One rod is attached to the puppets head. The other two are attached to the arms. The legs are left without rods. The head of the puppet is usually hollow and is carved from wood， and the performers can move the eyes and mouth. The hand rods may be attached to the performers wrists or elbows. Rod puppetry is still a little popular in China.

Shadow puppet theater

Shadow shows were once a popular form of entertainment， and they were also used for religious and instructional purposes. Simple to perform， dramas were played out on screens or walls for thousands of years to entertain and instruct， and shadow theater is still performed in China.

A simple lamp and a thin screen were all that were needed for a stage. Things like people， animals， furniture， pagodas， walls and plants were shown on the screen by placing figurines or figures made of cardboard or leather in front of the lamp.

The lamp illuminated the screen from behind， and people could move little figurines around for theatrical performances. With added music and sound effects， the performances could be quite entertaining if they were well executed. These were ancient dramas or cartoons， and they were even colorized for added entertainment by using colored translucent figurines. The lamp light cast a colored shadow.

Glove?type puppet show

Glove?type puppets like the “Muppets” are quite familiar in the West. Glove puppets are still a common toy there. These were also popular in China since ancient times.

In contrast to shadow plays that were staged even in rough Mongol encampments or poor primitive villages， the stages for glove?type puppet theater were often finely crafted. There were miniature （小型的） palace courtyards with richly decorated buildings that had carved rafters and golden roofs.

[閱读检测]

1. Which of the following is played mostly in the open air？

A. Glove?type puppet show. B. Shadow puppet theater.

C. Rod puppetry. D. Marionette theater.

2. The underlined word “illuminated” in paragraph 9 can be replaced by           .

A. burned B. lit C. clarified D. decorated

3. What can we know about rod puppet？

A. It is manipulated by thirteen rods.

B. The head of the puppet is usually carved from bamboo.

C. Modern performers tend to let their hands and rods show.

D. Rods are attached to the puppets head， arms and legs.

[语言学习]

写作推荐

One rod is attached to the puppets head. 一根棍子被系在木偶的头上。

【信息提取】be attached to...意为“被附在……上面”。

【句式仿写】这医院附属于那所大学。