In a reality television series that I’ve been watching recently, I came across 川剧变脸 (chuān jù biàn liǎn), or Chinese face mask changing, where performers are able to change the face mask that they are wearing within the blink of an eye. Performers are able to change about 10 masks in about 20 seconds without the use of their hands. All they do is turn their head or sweep their arms around. They are also able to perform in close proximity to their audience, leaving them spellbound and curious afterwards.
I found it so fascinating that I dug deeper into its history, and I want to share my newfound knowledge with you all.
Having been invented over 300 years ago during the Qing Dynasty, the art of face mask changing is deeply rooted within Chinese culture. The 四川 (sì chuān) opera is a famous opera house that presents this art, and its secrets are heavily guarded. The skills and techniques behind this performance have been passed down within a close circle of families. Thus, audiences today still have no idea as to how performers are able to change their face mask within milliseconds. Many have tried to find out through tactics such as photographing performances and looking back at each frame, but these ideas have all failed to uncover the secret behind this magic act.
Performers are able to change 10 masks in about 20 seconds without the use of their hands. All they do is turn their head or sweep their arms around. They are also able to perform in close proximity to their audience, leaving them spellbound and curious afterwards.
If you’re interested in seeing the magic, watch the video of a face changing performance below!
Sources:
https://www.chinahighlights.com/chengdu/attraction/magical-face-change.htm
Bian Lian: The Magical Art of Chinese “Face Changing …pearlriver.com › blogs › blog › bian-lian-the-magical-a…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8eRtIwpZHU
I always knew that China’s culture always had the masked performance as a part of it but I never watched a video of it. Also, I did not know that they could change masks that quickly, 10 masks in about 20 seconds is very impressive. Also I didn’t know that they performed this in the famous opera and the fact that people try to photograph how they change masks but cannot figure it out is very impressive. Also, the fact that they developed this art about 300 years ago shows how important it is to chinese culture which I really respect.
It’s incredibly impressive how performers are able to change 10 maks in approximately 20 seconds without using their hands! I hope that I can one day watch a masked performance. Sichuan opera seems very intriguing. Great article!
Wow the video attached to this article was awesome. In fact, after reading your article I remembered the time I saw a face-changing performance. One night my parents took me to a Chinese new year exhibit and there was an outdoor performance. The performance had many acts and one of them was face changing. Before that day I had no idea face changing as part of Chinese culture. I am very happy to learn some of the histories of face-changing such as it being over 300 years ago during the Qing dynasty.
Awesome article Joey! I have always wondered how people are able to change their faces and never find out how, unlike other types of magic tricks. 川剧变脸 is a fascinating part of the Chinese culture. When I visited my grandparents in China, we would spend the nights sitting in the park or open area and watch opera performances, but 川剧变脸 was something I witnessed in America during performances.
This was my first time watching a video of the Sichuan opera using this technique of quickly switching the face mask. It is amazing that even though this art was invented over 300 years ago during the Qing dynasty, how this works is still a secret to us all. I respect how the close circle of families was able to pass the technique on to descendants without exposing the magic that makes it so important in the Chinese culture.
The performance was amazing and I was bewildered when they changed the face masks every time. I think that it is astonishing that people have been trying to figure out the secret to the performance for years.
Even though I am half Chinese, I have never seen such incredible dancing. This is like a different form of art. I am starting to appreciate my culture a lot more because of the variety of things it presents to the world.
Even though I am half Chinese, I have never seen such incredible dancing. This is like a different form of art. I am starting to appreciate my culture a lot more because of the variety of things it presents to the world.