Sheet Play (Zitong)
The sheet play is also called finger puppet, palm puppet or one-person puppet play. It is named because a piece of cloth shaped like a sheet is used to surround four bamboo poles at the four corners of the table to build a puppet stage. The actor uses the index finger to hold the hollow puppet head, and the chin and middle fingers are inserted into the sleeves of the puppet to perform the puppet movements. The most distinctive feature is that the performer can play a full set of Sichuan opera gongs alone, and add huqin and suona accompaniment, which can be called a unique feature of Zitong. It has become a rare historical treasure in the traditional cultural repertoire of Zitong. The singer of the sheet play is one person, carrying a wooden box with puppets and a foldable small stage on a shoulder pole. During the performance, the small stage is propped up with a shoulder pole and placed on a table. The performer plays the big gong, small gong, horse gong, and gangzi with his right hand, the big gong on his leg, and the chazi with his feet, and beats different Sichuan opera gong and drum tunes, singing the various accents of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou in the play, and directing several puppets to perform various operations with his left hand. In short, it is a one-person show, with one person performing the roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo and Chou. People who don't know would think there are many people operating and directing the small stage, so the audience often likes to walk to the small stage, unveil the curtains, and see how the performers operate and direct the singing. The sheet play is really interesting and is loved by the majority of the elderly, middle-aged, young and children. Information source: Mianyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Mianyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)