Sichuan Opera
Face Changing – Chinese Folklore
Sichuan Opera, like hot-pot and other famous Sichuan dishes, is exciting and rich. Face changing is the highlight of Sichuan Opera. It is said that ancient people painted their faces to drive away wild animals. Sichuan Opera absorbs this ancient skill and perfects it into an art.
There are three types of face changes. In the Wiping Mask Routine the actor applies cosmetic paint in a certain position on his face. If the whole face is to be changed, the cosmetic paint is applied to the forehead or eyebrows; for changes on the lower half of the face, paint is applied to his cheeks or nose; or to other specific parts.
Face Changing is a magical art. Actors change more that 10 masks in less than 20 seconds. By raising the hand, swimming a sleeve or tossing the head, an actor uses different masks to show different emotions, expressing invisible and intangible feelings through visible and tangible masks.
From green to blue, red, yellow, brown, black and gold, these masks show fear, tension, relaxation, slyness, desperation, outrage, and so on.
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