Click 'CHINADAILY' above to follow us
Have you got plans for the Spring Festival holiday?
今年的春节大假，大家想好要怎么过了么？
I want a break from my mobile phone. I want to do something that has been absent in my list for such a long time, that I almost forgot how festive, dramatic and eye-arresting it is.
我呢想“戒”几天手机，做一件好久没有做的事，久到我都快忘了它是多么欢乐好看，又充满戏剧性。
▲ By Jiang Dong / China Daily
Guess what? I want to watch a traditional puppet play.
猜到了吗？嗯，我想看场木偶戏。
You may think it too old fashioned.
你可能觉得太过时了、一点都不酷。
The performance is not strange to me who hail from Fujian province.
传统木偶戏对于来自福建的我来说一点都不陌生。
I enjoyed watching two time-honored shows in childhood, the glove puppet play originated from Zhangzhou and the marionette play of Quanzhou.
小时候，我很喜欢看漳州的布袋木偶戏和泉州的提线木偶戏，这两种都是具有悠久历史的民间艺术。
The idea sprung up my mind when I visited a puppetry exhibition at the National Museum of China. The display through April 6 shows more than 300 puppets created by Xu Zhuchu, 80, and his son Xu Qiang.
我为什么突然又想看木偶戏了呢？因为我刚刚在国博参观了一个漳州木偶艺术展。这个持续到4月6号的展览汇聚了300多件由国家非遗传承人、80岁的徐竹初先生和他的儿子徐强制作的木偶。
They are from a family in Zhangzhou which has thrived on the business of puppetry for some 200 years. The exhibition is therefore a celebration of master craftsmanship.
两位工艺大师出自的漳州徐家在木偶制作技艺上已经传承了两百余年，所以这次的展览可谓是对工匠之心的致敬。
Puppets were once used as a ceremonial tool in witchcraft but gradually, the integration of puppet manipulating and local operas made the show evolving into a jolly program in festive celebrations and a representation of intangible cultural heritage.
木偶，古称“傀儡”，曾经作为礼仪性的媒介被用于古代的巫术活动中；但逐渐的，操纵木偶和地方戏曲演出走到了一起，演变为节庆中最为喜闻乐见的演出形式之一，也成为我国非物质文化遗产的代表性项目之一。
On show there are puppets which depict characters in classic novels and operas, for example, Tang Seng and his three disciples in Journey to the West.
这次徐氏父子带来的木偶中有经典文学和戏曲剧目中的人物角色，比如《西游记》中的师徒四人。
The figure of Mu Guiying shows the charisma of a legendary heroine and meanwhile, a charming beauty revealed by her slim eyebrows and slanted eyes.
还有“大女主”穆桂英，既有巾帼不让须眉的霸气，她的柳眉丹凤眼又透出女性的娇美。
When sculpting Lyu Bu's face, Xu Zhuchu depicts an alcoholic and erotic general.
而在刻画吕布的时候，徐竹初先生反而突出了这位名将贪酒好色的一面。
Like performers of traditional operas, puppet figures also wear different facial colors to indicate different personalities.
如同由演员扮演的戏曲人物一样，木偶戏中的人物也是通过不同的面部颜色来表达不同的性格。
Red stands for royalty and bravery.
红色代表忠贞英勇。
Blue is saved for someone tough and ingenious.
蓝色表现角色的刚强、有心计。
Black, as you all know, means selflessness and integrity, while white implies a cunning, devious character.
大家都熟知的黑色意味着正直无私，而白色暗示阴险奸诈。
Green and yellow can be used to portray a violent figure.
绿色和黄色都可以用于凶恶、暴躁的人物身上。
Who wouldn't say these vivid faces actually reflect the rich inner side of ourselves?
这些栩栩如生的面孔不正也折射了我们丰富曲折的内心世界吗？
▲ By Jiang Dong / China Daily
Courtesy of National Museum of China
图片致谢国家博物馆
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays, through April 616 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, BeijingLin Qi
自出道起专注特稿写作10余年，担任艺术报道是这两年的事。周一到周五去高大上的博物馆跑活儿，周末在798/草场地/黑桥出没。
