What is Face Changing?
Face changing (变脸), or “biàn liǎn” in Chinese, is a unique skill to Sichuan Opera (川剧). Chinese face changing is considered as one of the Chinese national treasures and has been passed down from one generation to another within families. Face changing is a stunt used in Sichuan Opera in order to shape the image of characters and express the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters in an implicit way. Different masks represent different demeanors with different states of mind. It can show the mental state changes of the characters such as fear, anger, jealousy, etc. Actors change different masks in a very short time by raising hands or tossing sleeves and skilled actors can even change a dozen masks in only ten to twenty seconds.
Origins of Sichuan Opera and Face Changing
As one of the most famous schools of Chinese Opera, Sichuan Opera is popular in the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711–1799) and Emperor Jiaqing (1760–1820) in the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912), people of rural areas in Sichuan set up temporary theatre pavilions to celebrate the New Year and other traditional Chinese festivals. Over time, performing Sichuan Opera has gradually become an accepted festival custom.
According to the legend, the origin of Chinese mask change has something to do with the resistance to wild beasts. In ancient times, people would draw different patterns on their faces to scare the ferocious animals away and keep themselves safe. Later on, Sichuan Opera got inspired by this ancient custom and evolved into a unique art form.
Three Types of Face Changing
Face-changing techniques generally fall into three categories: “wiping”, “pulling” and “blowing.”
“Wiping” is to spread the cosmetic paint to over the actor’s face. If the whole face is to be changed, the paint is applied to the forehead or eyebrows; for changes on the lower part of the face, the paint is applied to actor’s cheeks, nose or other specific parts.
“Pulling” is a technique for actors to prepare the facial masks in advance. The procedures include drawing the faces on fine pieces of silk cloth, cutting the cloth into the right size, tying a thin thread to each mask and sticking the masks onto the face. The threads are fastened to somewhere hidden in actors’ costumes. When performing, the actors pull the mask down one after another under the cover of various movements to express different emotions.
“Blowing” is only employed when the powder cosmetics are used. On the stage, a tiny box with powder cosmetics in it is placed beforehand. The actor blows black dust hidden in his palm or close to his eyes, nose or mouth so that it obscures his face. A movement of prostration near the box will enable the performer to blow the powder onto his face. In practice, “blowing” is more difficult than the other two techniques because the performer has to close his eyes and shut his mouth when blowing. Once the powder flies into his mouth, the performer will get choked and the performance cannot go on.
Symbolic Meanings of Facial Mask Colors
There are seven typical colors in Chinese face changing, representing different kinds of characters and personalities.
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