Magical Face Changing 神奇的川劇變臉

Face changing is a magical art. Performers wear bright costumes that include vividly colored masks and move to quick， rhythmic music. As they move， the performers faces change with lightning speed， going from one mask to the next.

The art of face changing originated in Sichuan Province where it is one of the most well-known skills of Sichuan Opera. Face changing is done during a performance for many reasons—sometimes to indicate a change of emotion of the character and sometimes to show the context of the opera.

Many observers of face changing liken it less to an operatic performance but more to magic. The speed of face changing， together with other performances， inspires awe and wonder both in opera-goers who are familiar with the cultural context and in observers who are unfamiliar with Chinese history or folklore.

Face changing is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious arts， and only the masters really know how it works. In general， there are 2 types of face changing with 3 changing methods.

變臉是一門神奇的藝術。表演者們穿著亮麗的服裝，戴著色彩鮮艷的面具，隨著快速而有節奏的音樂舞動。在表演者舞動的過程中，他們的臉會以閃電般的速度變化，從一張面具換到另一張面具。

變臉藝術起源于四川，是川劇表演的特技之一。在表演的過程中，變臉有很多原因——有時是為了揭示人物情緒的變化，有時是為了展現劇目的背景。

許多觀眾把變臉比作魔術，而非戲曲表演。無論是熟悉中國文化背景的戲曲觀眾，還是不熟悉中國歷史或民間傳說的觀眾，都對變臉的速度及其他表演感到驚嘆和好奇。

變臉無疑是最神秘的藝術之一，只有大師才真正知道它是如何變換的。一般來講，變臉有兩種類別，三種手法。

2 types 兩種類別

·Big face changing is changing the entire face and it is the most impressive form of it.

·Small face changing is the art of changing a part of the face—the beard， the eyebrows， etc.

大變臉是變整張臉，這是川劇變臉最令人印象深刻的形式。

小變臉是一種局部變臉的藝術，比如變胡子、眉毛等。

3 methods 三種手法

Plastering is the technique of spreading secret paint or make-up on the mask.

Powdering involves blowing at a hidden box of colored powder onto the face to change its color. Sometimes a tiny box is placed on the stage and the performer draws near and blows at it.

Pulling is the most difficult， complicated and impressive method. It is done by changing the actual face mask almost instantly and without the performer touching the mask itself. Pulling is impressive because the performer can switch among a huge number of masks in a short time. The performer must prepare many masks in advance， and employ quick， seemingly unrelated movements to pull the masks down.

抹臉是將特制油彩或化妝品涂抹到面具上。

吹臉是將一盒隱藏起來的彩色粉末向臉上吹，以此來改變臉的顏色。有時是在舞臺上放一個小盒子，表演者會貼近盒子并對著它吹氣。

扯臉是最困難、最復雜、最令人印象深刻的手法。這需要表演者在幾乎不觸摸面具的情況下，快速更換面具。扯臉之所以令人印象深刻，是因為表演者可以在短時間內在大量面具之間進行切換。表演者必須提前準備好許多面具，然后利用看似無關的動作迅速把面具扯下來。

Face changing is an ever-changing art， and it continues to evolve and innovate with technology. By the early 1900s， artists could switch up to 3 masks each performance. By the 1990s， artists could employ up to 4 masks， and by 2000， the number rose to 8. Nowadays， using silk masks and modern technology， artists can change 18 to 20 different masks.

變臉是一門不斷變化的藝術，它會隨著技術不斷發展和創新。20世紀初，藝術家們每次表演至多可以切換3張面具。到20世紀90年代，藝術家們至多可以切換4張面具，而到2000年，這一數量增加到8張。如今，因為使用絲制面具和現代技術，藝術家們可以切換18到20種不同的面具。

Word Bank

complicated /'k?mpl?ke?t?d/ adj. 復雜的；難懂的

evolve /i'v?lv/ v. 逐步發展；進化

innovate /'?n?ve?t/ v. 創新；改革