Shanbanqiao Cultural Life Museum Introduction
Upon entering the Shanbanqiao Mask Culture Life Museum Park, one can immediately see a colorful mask representing the "Five Way Wealth Gods" at the entrance, which is quite eye-catching amidst the tranquil mountains and symbolizes good fortune, enticing visitors to explore further inside the museum. The wooden carving industry in Sanyi is well-developed, with numerous wood carving factories. The origin of Shanbanqiao was a wood carving studio run by a couple who previously worked in the industry, primarily creating functional artworks such as flat wooden sculptures, screens, furniture, and tea trays. However, as the entire economic structure shifted, the wooden carving industry gradually declined, prompting the couple to rethink the direction of their studio. Initially, they transformed the studio into a farm focused on teaching wood carving, capitalizing on their strong interest in Peking opera masks, and began teaching beginners basic carving techniques using masks as teaching material. Nevertheless, the use of sharp carving tools posed risks for untrained beginners, leading to the design of mask painting activities, allowing Shanbanqiao to gradually become a place centered around mask art, suitable for the public and family-oriented impromptu painting activities. Inside the cultural museum, there are several areas, including a historical and cultural area introducing Sanyi's local history, a wooden mask display area, and a wood experience area that allows the public to understand through hands-on experiences. Among these, the wall displaying thousands of traditional masks grabs the most attention. These works are the culmination of the family's efforts, and upon close inspection, one can find that each mask has a unique design and intricate painting, conveying the personalities and spirits of various characters through colors and lines. With a clear theme in place, Shanbanqiao has successfully promoted mask and wood carving art, allowing for a renewed understanding of these cultures through engaging methods, achieving sustainable preservation. There are two main theories regarding the origin of the mask: one suggests that they were used in ancient rituals to depict the fearsome nature of demons, while the other proposes that mask dances from the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties were the ancestors of masks. Regardless of the origin, masks initially failed to convey the emotions and expressions of performers, leading artists to paint directly on their faces with powders and oils, thus forming masks. To ensure that audiences seated further from the stage could clearly see performers' expressions, the original masks employed only black, red, and white colors to emphasize facial features, skin tones, and outlines. As the art of opera developed, the patterns and colors of masks became increasingly rich, culminating in the late 18th to early 19th century with the emergence of a complete makeup style for Peking opera masks, where the colors began to symbolize character traits. In this color symbolism, red represents loyalty, as seen in Guan Yu; black signifies integrity, exemplified by Bao Zheng; purple stands for wisdom and courage, akin to Jing Ke; white connotes treachery, such as Cao Cao; blue symbolizes strength and bravery, like Lu Meng; green represents fierceness, as in Cheng Yaojin; yellow indicates sneaky ruthlessness, like Pang Juan; while gold and silver are mostly used for gods, Buddhas, and ghosts, symbolizing the ethereal. Understanding the significance behind these colors adds more enjoyment to the appreciation of the masks.
