Face-changing

Face-changing

Face-changing is a special technique for building characters in traditional Chinese opera. By changing faces in the blink of an eye, performers could express the emotional changes of their characters.

Face-changing requires dexterity and smooth and subtle movements. It achieves intended effects to appeal to the audience in a way different from other performing skills in traditional Chinese opera. The use of this technique, though widespread in many opera genres, is most prominent in Sich- uan Opera, in which face-changing takes place through plastering, powder-blowing, or facemask-switching. Plastering refers to the move by which performers smear part of their faces using cosmetic paint previously hidden in eyebrows or hair. Powder-blowing is applied to change the colors of performers’ faces. This requires performers to oil their faces in the area that needs color-change in advance, so that colored powder will stick after being blown to their faces. Aside from face coloring, mask switching allows performers to change faces instantly. They attach make-up masks to their faces in layers, neither  too tight nor too loose, and when the cue comes, they pull the masks off one by one.

Face-changing is a technique unique to traditional Chinese culture and has won plaudits in countries around the world where traditional Chinese operas are performed.

變臉

變臉是中國傳統戲劇中塑造人物的一種特技，通過瞬間改變臉譜，表現人物內心的情感變化，令人拍案叫絕。

變臉表演要求動作敏捷、不露痕跡，對演員技巧要求較高。變臉可以給觀眾一種不同于其他戲曲表演的體驗和感受，具有極強的感染力。中國不少劇種中都有變臉特技，其中以川劇中的變臉最為著名。川劇變臉主要有抹暴眼、吹粉、扯臉等手法。抹暴眼是演員手指抹上預存于眉頭或鬢的墨青，一抹即變；吹粉是演員吹起色粉，事先在需要變化的地方涂油，以改變臉色，抹暴眼和吹粉都屬于涂面化妝。扯臉則需要將臉譜面具一層層地貼套在臉上，且松緊有度，在劇情需要時一個個拉下來達到變臉效果。

變臉作為中華傳統文化的一張名片，多次在國際舞臺上展示中國傳統戲劇的技藝絕活和獨特風采，獲得各國人民的廣泛贊譽。