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China Folk and Variety Arts
Folk and variety arts have a long history in China. One of the
oldest forms of folk art is puppetry. Puppeteers use various kinds
of puppets, including marionettes, rod puppets, cloth puppets, and
wire puppets in performances incorporating folk songs and dances
and some dialogues. The subject matter is derived mainly from
children's stories and fables. The shadow play is a form of
puppetry that is performed by moving figures made of animal skins
or cardboard held behind a screen lit by lamplight. The subject
matter and singing style in shadow plays are closely related to
local opera. Another popular folk art is the quyi, which
consists of various kinds of storytelling and comic monologues and
dialogues, often to the accompaniment of clappers, drums, or
stringed instruments.
Variety arts, including tightrope walking, acrobatics, animal
acts, and sleight of hand date back at least as far as the Han
dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) and were very popular in the imperial
court. Later, many of these feats were incorporated into the
traditional theater, and they continued to be performed by
itinerant troupes. As these troupes traveled around the
countryside, they developed and enriched their repertoire. Since
1949 these art forms have gained new respectability. Troupes have
been established in the provinces, autonomous regions, and special
municipalities, and theaters specifically dedicated to the variety
arts have been built in major cities. Some troupes have become
world famous, playing to packed houses at home and on foreign
tours.
Data as of July 1987
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