Huaxian shadow puppet making is a traditional local handicraft in Huaxian County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province. Its history can be traced back to the Tang and Song Dynasties, and its heyday was during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has to go through 24 processes such as cutting, grinding, washing, carving, and coloring, and it takes three to four thousand cuts to make it. The first step in the soaking process of the leather is to select the leather. The leather of cattle under three years old is selected, and the yellow cowhide that has just been slaughtered is the best. Then soak the selected leather in clean water according to the temperature at that time, change the water every day and soak it for several days until the hair can fall off by gently pulling it with your hand. Then put the soaked cowhide on a wooden stake about the thickness of a bowl and about 1.3 meters long (Note: one end of the wooden stake is buried in the soil, at a 45 degree angle to the ground), and scrape it with a special scraper. Scrape the fat first, then scrape the hair, until the thickness is even, and then stretch it on the wooden frame with a rope to dry in the shade. After drying in the shade, the cowhide is cut into pieces according to the size of the pattern to be carved. It is repeatedly polished on both sides with sandpaper until it is smooth, and then washed with water three to four times. When the leather is wet and soft, a special "push ruler" is used to add a little oil and juice, and push and grind it gradually to make the cowhide more flat and smooth and eliminate shrinkage. The leather made in this way is similar to glass and suitable for carving. The carving process of shadow puppets Shadow puppets are made in China, which has a vast territory. Shadow puppets in various places have their own characteristics, but the production procedures of shadow puppets are mostly the same. Usually, it goes through eight processes such as selecting leather, making leather, drawing, passing drafts, engraving, applying color, sweating and ironing, and stitching and synthesis. It is a complex and wonderful process with more than 3,000 hand-carved knives. The artistic creativity of shadow puppets draws on the techniques and styles of Chinese Han Dynasty silk paintings, stone reliefs, brick reliefs, and Tang and Song Dynasty temple murals. The first step is to select the skin. Because shadow puppetry is a folk art, the conditions in various aspects vary from place to place, and the production materials are also determined according to the local use of animal skins. In China, cowhide, sheepskin, donkey skin, pig skin, etc. are more commonly used, among which cowhide is the most widely used material in the Chinese market. The raw materials of shadow puppets vary from place to place. For example, the production of Longdong shadow puppets generally uses young, black-haired bull skins. This kind of cowhide is moderately thick, hard and flexible, and transparent in green. The second step of leather making There are two methods for processing cowhide: one is "clean skin" and the other is "gray skin". The production process of clean skin is to soak the cowhide in clean cold water for two or three days after selecting it (depending on the temperature, the specific conditions of the cowhide and water), and then take it out and scrape it with a knife: the first process is to scrape off the cow hair, the second time to scrape off the meat residue of the inner skin, and the third time to gradually scrape it thin and scrape off the inner skin. Soak it in clean water once each time you scrape it, until the fourth time of fine work, the skin is scraped thin and shiny. When scraping, you must pay attention to making the thickness of the skin uniform, and the hand strength should be light and steady to avoid damaging the skin. After scraping, support it on a wooden frame and dry it in the shade. There are many ways to make leather. For example, in Shaanxi shadow play, there are usually two ways to prepare its raw material - cowhide: "clean leather" and "gray leather". The production process of "clean leather" is to soak the selected cowhide in clean cold water for two or three days, take it out and scrape it four times with a knife, soak it in clean water every time, until the fourth time of fine work, the leather is scraped thin and shiny. After scraping, it is supported on a wooden frame to dry in the shade. When it is clean, bright and transparent, it can be used to make shadow play. "Gray leather" is also called "soft scraping". When soaking the leather, calcium oxide (lime), sodium sulfide (stinking caustic soda), sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate and other agents are dissolved in water, and the cowhide is repeatedly soaked and scraped. The leather scraped out by this method is similar to glass and is more suitable for carving. The third step is drawing. There are special drawings for making shadow play, called "samples", and these design drawings are passed down from generation to generation. The fourth step is to pass the draft. The carving artist will break the scraped leather into pieces, soften it with a wet cloth, and then use a special pusher with a little oil to push and rub it gradually to make the cowhide flatter and smoother, and to relieve the shrinkage of the leather. Then he can trace the pattern. The rational use of finished leather before drawing is also a meticulous work. Thin and translucent finished leather should be used for prominent parts such as the head, chest, and abdomen; thicker and darker finished leather can be used for legs and other general props. This can not only save raw materials, but also improve the quality of shadow puppets. At the same time, it also makes the shadow puppet figures light on the top and heavy on the bottom, which is stable and convenient when performing with sticks and standing still. The next step is to trace the pattern. Use a steel needle to copy and trace the outlines of each part and the design pattern on the leather surface. This is called "passing the draft". Then put the leather on a jujube or pear wood board for carving. (ash), sodium sulfide (stinking caustic soda), sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate and other chemicals are dissolved in water, and the cowhide is repeatedly soaked and scraped. The leather scraped out by this method is similar to glass and is more suitable for carving. The third step is to draw a draft. When making shadow puppets, there are special drawings, called "samples", and these design drawings are passed down from generation to generation. The fourth step is to pass the draft. The carving artist will break the scraped leather into pieces, soften it with a wet cloth, and then use a special pusher to push and rub it with a little oil to make the cowhide flatter and smoother, and to relieve the shrinkage of the leather. Only then can the pattern be traced. The rational use of the finished leather before drawing the draft is also a meticulous work. Thin and transparent finished leather should be used for prominent parts such as the head, chest, and abdomen; thicker and darker finished leather can be used for legs and other general props. This can not only save raw materials, but also improve the quality of shadow puppets. At the same time, it also makes the shadow puppet characters light on the top and heavy on the bottom, which is stable and convenient when performing with lots and standing still. The next step is to trace the pattern. Use a steel needle to copy and trace the outlines of each part and the design pattern on the leather surface. This is called "passing the draft". Then the leather is placed on a jujube or pear wood board for carving. The fifth step is engraving. Generally, there are eleven or twelve, or even more than thirty engraving knives. The knives include oblique knives (sharp knives) of different widths, flat knives, round knives, triangular knives, flower-mouth knives, etc. The division of labor is very particular, and artists need to be proficient in the different use of various knives. According to traditional experience, when engraving linear patterns, a flat knife should be used to pierce; when engraving straight line patterns, a flat knife should be used to push; for the circular patterns on the sleeves and jackets of traditional clothing, a chisel knife is needed to chisel; some tortuous and changeable patterns must be engraved with an oblique knife. The artist's engraving formula is as follows: cherry blossoms are pierced with a flat knife, swastikas are pushed with a flat knife, sleeves and jackets are chiseled, and flowers are carved with a sharp knife. The engraving lines are divided into virtual and real lines, as well as dark lines and painted lines. The dyeing process of shadow puppets After the shadow puppets are carved, they can be colored after being flattened and polished. Coloring often uses transparent colors with good effects. The pigment is prepared with cowhide glue after heating, which has strong adhesion. Then it is flatly painted and baked according to the pattern of the shadow puppet. When dyeing, the colors must not be mixed to keep the picture clean. Ironing Ironing, also known as watering, is an auxiliary process for arranging and making shadow puppets. It means using two special adobes to iron the shadow puppets at high temperature. Watering is often kept secret by artists as a "secret weapon". If the ironing temperature is not enough, the shadow puppet will not be straight, and if the temperature is too high, it will be burnt. Just the right temperature is a "secret weapon". This "secret weapon" is obtained by artists from long-term practice, and it can only be understood but not explained. Binding Binding is the last process of shadow puppet making. Connect and fix the carved parts. The connection between the head and the body is flexible and can be replaced as needed. The fixing points of the connection of each part should be selected well. Add a main stick to the neck of the shadow figure and a movable stick to each wrist. Artists have a motto: "Choose the right line, and the vivid spirit will be revealed; if you miss even a tiny bit, the figure will be incomplete." This is the principle of the shadow play of moving in stillness and conveying spirit in movement.