Shanbanqiao Cultural and Life Center Introduction
Walking into the Shanbanqiao Face-Painting Culture Life Museum area, you will first see a face mask representing the "God of Wealth" at the entrance. Its vibrant colors symbolize good fortune, making it quite eye-catching in the tranquil forest and enticing visitors to explore the museum further. The woodcarving industry in Sanyi is quite developed, with numerous woodcarving factories scattered throughout. Shanbanqiao originally began as a woodcarving studio, run by a couple who were both engaged in the craft, focusing on producing practical art pieces such as flat wood carvings, screens, tables, chairs, and tea trays. However, as the socio-economic structure changed, the woodcarving industry gradually declined, prompting the couple to rethink the direction of their studio. Initially, they transformed the studio into a farm centered around teaching woodcarving, inspired by their strong interest in traditional Chinese opera face painting. They began teaching beginners the basic carving techniques using face masks as teaching materials. However, using sharp carving knives posed dangers for untrained beginners, so they later designed face painting activities, gradually transforming Shanbanqiao into a place primarily focused on face-painting art and suitable for public, family-friendly creative painting activities. Inside the cultural museum, there are several areas, including a historical and cultural section introducing Sanyi's local history, a display area for woodcarving face masks, and a wood experience zone for the public to gain hands-on understanding of materials. The most eye-catching part is the wall displaying thousands of traditional operatic face masks. These works are the result of the couple's hard work and, upon closer inspection, each face mask has a unique design and intricate painting, showcasing the personalities and charm of various characters through colors and lines. With a clear theme, Shanbanqiao has successfully promoted face painting and woodcarving art, allowing people to rediscover these cultures through an engaging medium, achieving sustainable heritage. There are two theories regarding the origin of face masks. One suggests that masks were used during ancient rituals to depict the fearsome aspects of demons, while another suggests that they originated from masked performances in dance music during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Regardless of their origin, wearing a mask made it difficult for performers to express their emotions and eyes, leading artists to paint their faces directly with powders and oil paints, thus forming the face mask style. To ensure audiences seated further from the stage could see the actors' facial expressions clearly, the earliest face masks were painted with only three colors: black, red, and white, emphasizing facial features, skin tones, and contours. With the development of theatrical art, the patterns and colors of face masks became increasingly rich. By the late 18th to early 19th centuries, a complete set of makeup patterns emerged in Peking Opera, and the colors of face masks gradually evolved to have symbolic meanings related to character traits. In color symbolism, red represents loyalty, like Guan Yu; black signifies loyalty and righteousness, like Bao Zheng; purple indicates wisdom and bravery, like Jing Ke; water white implies treachery, like Cao Cao; blue symbolizes strength and valor, like Lu Meng; green signifies fierce and bold, like Cheng Yaojin; yellow represents sinister cruelty, like Pang Juan; while gold and silver colors are often used for deities, Buddha, and monsters, symbolizing the ethereal. Understanding these color meanings can enhance the enjoyment of appreciating face masks.
