Contemporary Chinese Animation Design as a Reinterpretation of Traditional Cultural Connotations Based on Shadow Puppet Theater

Gao Chaomeng ORCID: 0000-0001-5230-5509 Professor; Animation Department; Qingdao Huanhai University School of Film and Television 672000, Russia, Zabaikalsky Krai, Chita, 125 Babushkina str., office 60 ivanovayuv@gmail.com

Introduction

Chinese traditional culture has a long history and rich content that attracts the attention of the whole world. The founder of modern Chinese literature, Lu Xin, believed that everything national is also global. The "Great Chinese Dream" of the rebirth of the nation implies the careful preservation of traditional culture, which contributes to the consolidation of cultural diversity in the unifying reality of globalization. Therefore, the study of the interaction of traditional culture and innovative processes in society is of great relevance for China and other countries studying this instructive experience.

The object of the study is modern animation design in China and its evolution over the past 70 years. The subject of the study is the potential of reinterpretation of traditional cultural connotations of Chinese shadow theater in modern animation design. The main objectives of the research include the analysis of ways to integrate traditional culture in animation design in different historical periods and to identify the possibilities of synthesizing the canonical principles of shadow theater with modern animation technologies.

Many authentic forms have been formed in the traditional art of China, including guohua painting, calligraphy, carved seals, shadow theater, jianzhi papercutting art, porcelain, embroidery and others. All of them demonstrate the artistic skills, aesthetic ideals and cultural wealth of the Chinese nation. The article by Wang Tong and Li Jian "Research and practice of popular science animation in the context of Chinese traditional culture and art" examines the process of interaction between traditions and innovations in Chinese art using the example of a short film about the intangible cultural heritage of Shaanxi Province "The Game of Shadows of Hua County". The authors note: "Thanks to the use of modern animation technologies, traditional elements have received a new life." ^[1]. Being a relatively new art form, modern Chinese animation has become an important way to preserve traditional culture, a key tool for its creative transformation and innovative development.

Shadow theater has been one of the most popular folk entertainment and has existed for thousands of years in many countries, including China, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, India, Iran, Thailand. Shadow puppet theater in China ("shadow play") is an ancient form of stage performative art, as well as an artistic text with a rich cultural basis. The plots of the performances were based on folk epics and customs, legends, legends, classical literary works, therefore the shadow theater was an important channel for the transmission of historical knowledge and cultural heritage.

The main props of the shadow theater include a white translucent screen, a lamp and flat reed puppets. Traditional shadow doll production methods involve high skill in material preparation, carving, coloring, joining parts and final assembly of the doll. Cow or donkey skin is used as the starting material for shadow dolls, which is soaked, dehydrated and thinned to achieve uniformity and transparency. The artists decorate the details with exquisite patterns that reveal the psychology of the character and the plot of the story. When coloring, natural or synthetic pigments are used, which retain brightness for a long time. Sometimes the puppets are additionally decorated with scraps of silk, so that the shadows become colored. At the final stage of production, the carved parts are connected with ropes, wooden slats or wire, forming a finished shadow puppet character or decoration with flexibility and strength. The movable design of the dolls made it possible to convey the complex movements of the characters.

Fig. 1. The work of the Chinese puppet Theater artists behind the screen during the performance.

The shadow play of the traditional shadow theater can be considered the oldest prototype of animation in the history of mankind, which overcame the static of graphic images by artistic means. In Europe, it was only in the XV century that the camera obscura became widespread, projecting some image onto the screen. The invention of the "magic lantern" probably belongs to the Dutch scientist Christian Huygens. In 1779, Jean-Paul Marat used a "solar microscope" in his speeches, a version of a magic lantern that allowed objects to be projected in color and movement. The early history of European animation ends with the invention of the celluloid base for film (1888), while the early history of Chinese animation, thanks to the traditional shadow theater, can be dated back to the first millennium BC, because its basic principle (image projection on the screen) was known in Ancient China. As an important area of traditional culture, shadow puppet theater serves as a source of inspiration for modern animation and gives it a deep subtext, including various elements of cultural heritage.

Chinese animation gets a new development in the twentieth century. The book "The History of Chinese Animation" edited by Sun Lijun, Dean of the Animation School of the Beijing Film Academy ^[2] examines the process of formation of Chinese animated cinema from the 1920s to the beginning of the XXI century, in which the authors identify four significant periods: 1949-1978. (beginning), 1979-1988. (development), 1989-1999 (maturity) and 2000 – present (modernization). The book provides a detailed description of each of these periods, analyzes the features of the development process, representative works and aesthetic concepts of Chinese animation. The authors rightly see one of the ways to revive the vitality of traditional culture in bringing archetypal cultural connotations to animation design, creating new impulses for the development of animation art. This idea, with different accents, sounds like a refrain in all scientific research by Chinese authors on this topic.

Modern processes in Chinese animation attract the attention of many researchers in China. Thus, Wang Xiangyu in his work investigated the process of creating digital animation of shadow puppets from the point of view of innovations in the field of intangible cultural heritage ^[3]. He noted that thanks to digital animation technologies, traditional elements of shadow puppet theater can be presented in a completely new form, which not only enriches the expressiveness of animation art, but also expands the channels of dissemination of intangible cultural heritage. The digital animation work "Shadow Legend" mentioned by Wang Xiangyu combines the art of traditional shadow puppet theater with modern animation technologies to update the audiovisual characteristics of the works.

Chen Jiahui's research discusses the problems of transferring the legacy of the traditional culture of shadow puppet theater into digital form ^[4]. The author emphasizes that digitization is not only a way to protect and record traditional art forms, but also an innovative attempt to inherit and develop them. Using the example of a modern animated film in the style of shadow puppet theater "The Dream of Dunhuang", Chen Jiahui demonstrates how digital technologies help to reproduce the emotional impact of classical shadow puppet theater and adapt it to the aesthetic needs of a modern audience of the Internet era, when the presentation of information becomes more diverse, imaginative, dynamic, interactive.

Jin Minglei's research provides another compelling example of studying the integration of animation and traditional culture ^[5]. Analyzing the changing attitudes of college students towards traditional Chinese culture after 2000, he emphasizes the importance of cultural trust in modern society. Jin Minglei cites the animated film directed by Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun "Big Fish and Begonia" (2016) as a good example. The film is based on ancient Chinese treatises (including "Zhuangzi", "The Book of Mountains and Seas") and myths. The incorporation and reinterpretation of Chinese cultural heritage (visuals, plot and issues) has made this film popular not only in China, but also around the world. Animation breaks down the stage limitations of shadow puppetry, implements more flexible and smooth movements, uses sound effects and background music to enhance emotional impact, giving new life to ancient traditions.

Yang Yahui, based on the analysis of articles in the magazine "Cinema and Television", also reconstructs the perception of traditional culture in Chinese animation ^[6], which skillfully includes elements of religious beliefs and philosophical ideas about the need for harmony between man, the socio-natural environment and the universe as a whole. One of the illustrative examples was the animated film "Nezha: the Birth of the Devil" (2019), which not only achieved great success at the box office, but also influenced modern Chinese culture. The mythological protection deity Nezha has been revered in China for more than a thousand years and is one of the most formidable and mysterious Chinese gods. In the film, this mythological character is successfully included in the actual plot, and modern visualization methods give a new reading to traditional stories. The modification of Nezhi's image and the innovative reinterpretation of his weapons (the Qiankun Fire Circle and the Red Ribbon of Hong Tianling) reflect the filmmakers' deep understanding of and respect for traditional culture: the golden color of the Qiankun circle symbolizes dignity and power, and the red color of the Hong Tianling ribbon symbolizes passion and courage.

Fig. 2. The poster of the film "Nezha: the Birth of the devil", which depicts the main character and his weapon – Qiankun Fire circles and Hong Tianling red ribbon. Image source: https://img2.baidu.com/it/u=625660996 ,1477177033&fm=253&fmt=auto&app=138&f=JPEG?w=800&h=11

Speaking about the research results of Chinese scientists, we should not forget that similar problems attract the attention of foreign authors. A detailed analysis of their works is beyond the scope of our article, but as representative examples we can mention the fundamental publications of D. Bendazzi ^[7] and N. G. Krivuli ^[8].

The monograph of the Italian animation historian Giannalberto Bendazzi (1946-2021) "Animation: a World History" (2015) is based on the idea that animation is an art form that deserves its place in science. Bendazzi analyzes animation in Russia, Africa, Latin America and other regions and introduces readers to little-known but worthy authors from all major regions of the world (more than 90 countries), covering the history of animation production on each continent for three centuries.

N. G. Krivuli's fundamental research "Animatology: The Evolution of World Animatographs" (2012) and her subsequent monographs are devoted to the comprehensive study of theoretical and empirical problems of animation, including the identification of patterns of its evolution, interrelation with social life, art and culture. The author of the term "animatology" (the name of the scientific direction proposed by her) evaluates the variety of artistic and stylistic concepts in animation, the form and content of an animated work, changes in animation and screen culture caused by the advent of digital technologies. Thus, the modern art of animation occupies an important place in the life of society, and its multidimensional research has become an urgent topic in cultural studies of scientists from different countries.

Integration of traditional culture in animation design in different historical periods

The connotations of traditional culture are a concentrated reflection of the cultural characteristics of a certain stage in the history of the people. Today, as China's traditional culture is constantly being enriched and reinterpreted, the combination of animation design and traditional shadow theater creates new opportunities for development. In their study "Applied Research on the Combination of Digital Technology and the Art of Shadow Play", Dong Xiaoli and Zhang Dongxue proposed innovative ways to use digital technology to revive the art of shadow play. They believe that "digital media can overcome the limitations of space and time, allowing more people to understand and appreciate this unique art form"^[9]. In the context of global cultural exchange, animation design actively absorbs the essence of traditional culture in the selection of themes and the embodiment of connotations of traditional culture in terms of form, artistic concept and visual design. This marks a conscious return of animation art to subjectivity – an open expression of the author's worldview and artistic taste. Let's look at some examples of the use of cultural connotations in animation design.

(1) The development of the artistic concept of traditional Chinese ink painting in animation

Ink painting, in which water and ink form a unique artistic language, holds a special place in traditional Chinese culture. Modern animation uses ink drawing in an innovative way, giving new life to the drawing, color and artistic concept in dynamics, animating static ink-drawn images on the screen. The animation shows the color change of ink fills from thick and heavy to light and translucent, with rich and varied visual effects. Combining modern aesthetics with the needs of animation, ink and watercolor are flexibly transformed to give viewers aesthetic pleasure and evoke historical and cultural resonance. Qu Peng and Yang Baoting ^[10] mentioned in their article "The breakthrough and change of traditional IP films of the new "Chinese animation school"" that the cartoon "Little Tadpoles are looking for Mom" (小,, 1960, Art Director: Te Wei) is the first ink animation based on Qi paintings Baishi (1864-1957) was a great Chinese artist, classic of Guohua, winner of the Peace Prize.

Qi Baishi believed that the essence of painting, the secret of mastery, is the balance of similarity and dissimilarity of nature and its depiction in the painting, since complete similarity is vulgar, and dissimilarity is deception. Using the example of the movement of tadpoles, the film conveys this aesthetic concept of a balance "between similarity and dissimilarity." The film is drawn in the traditional Chinese painting style of "Xie yi" (sweeping and concise painting focusing on conveying an idea), opposed to the manner of "Gong bi" ("careful brush"). The difference between them for the European viewer vaguely resembles the ratio of impressionism and photorealism. The "similarity" in the animated film "Little Tadpoles are looking for Mom" is expressed in the anatomical truthfulness of the depicted animals – frogs, crabs, turtles and others, and the "dissimilarity" – in the conventionality of the image of a reservoir in which water is represented in the traditions of Gohua as an empty space of the picture. The film opened a new era of animation expressiveness, won international recognition and gave a new breath to the art of animation.

(2) Displaying the humorous style of shadow theater in animation art

Shadow puppet theater, as a kind of folk art with a long history, is a living legacy of traditional culture due to its special way of interacting light and shadow, as well as methods of narration, portrayal of characters, storylines, plastics, and other artistic elements. As Li Shunli noted in his article "The traditional cultural Nature of Chinese Animation Design" ^[11], China's first shadow puppet animation "Pig Bazze Eats Watermelon" (猪八戒吃西西, 1958, Wang Guchan) included funny plot moves and comical movements of the characters in the style of shadow theater, bringing expressiveness and visual impressions to animation art. The cartoon showed that modern animation is able to continue using the artistic techniques of shadow puppet theater and improve its motives, for example, with the help of new technologies of three-dimensional animation.

The animated film "Honest Official Li Jian" (2018, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts) combines three elements of intangible cultural heritage: shadow puppet theater, traditional opera accompanied by gong and drum, and ink drawing animation. The film uses updated drawing techniques. Li Jian (1440-1505) was a real historical figure who lived in Sijing. According to the story, Li Jian, as an expert in mathematics, was invited to Beijing to help the imperial court with the audit of finances. In the process of checking accounts, he was not afraid of threats and in three years brought order to the judicial accounting department, confiscating the ill-gotten wealth of corrupt officials. Despite the fact that the film will raise a serious topic of the fight against corruption, the friendly local accent of the actors, slightly humorous remarks and grotesque characterizations of the characters give the performance a local flavor and a humorous touch. Thanks to this, the film popularized shadow puppet theater among a wide audience and demonstrated the ageless charm of traditional art.

(3) Abstract ethnic design style in animation art

Chen Chen in his article "The study of the application of elements of folk art in the design of characters in animated films" ^[12] proves that Chinese traditional decorative art with its rich artistic forms and deep cultural connotations is a complex system, the main principles of which are the principles of symmetry, harmony, balance. Based on decorative art, modern animation art can not only present ethnic decorative techniques, but also implement traditional visual style in character design and reveal allegorical meaning. Ye Jinhui and Yin Jun in their article "A brief analysis of the application of traditional elements in the design of character modeling in Destruction in Heaven" ^[13] conclude that the artistic style of the animated film Destruction in Heaven is largely borrowed from classical Dunhuang frescoes and folk New Year paintings. Combining the stylization of characters under murals and elements of the art of splint painting in animation art creates visual effects of formal and allegorical beauty. Thanks to this transformation, the shadow puppet theater has not only been updated in form, but also acquired a connection with a modern audience in terms of connotation. The classical principles of shadow theater (its cultural connotations, narrative rhythm, aesthetics of silhouettes, drawing of characters) were carefully transferred to the space of the cartoon, enriching the cultural meaning and artistic identity of the work.

Figure 3. A frame from the animated film "Sun Wukong fights Bai Gujing three times", the production of which was directed by the author of the article.

Strategies and ways to synthesize the art of shadow theater with modern animation technologies

Combining the traditions of shadow theater and modern animation technologies allowed not only to update the form of ancient art, but also to strengthen the connection with a modern audience. In her article "Research on the Application of shadow design in digital animation", Sun Lijun ^[14] deeply explored the characteristics of shadow dolls in digital animation design. She noted: "The use of digital technologies has not only made the production and distribution of shadow puppet theater more convenient and efficient, but also significantly expanded its audience and influence." This highlights the important role of digital animation in the inheritance and popularization of traditional shadow puppet theater and opens up new perspectives and methods for modern animation design. The use of modern animation technologies such as 3D modeling and motion capture provides a new platform for traditional elements of shadow puppetry, making it more attractive and competitive in cultural exchange.

Figure 4. Work on character movement using modern computer technology. From the work experience of the author of the article.

(1) Animated design of shadow puppet elements

The essence of incorporating shadow puppet elements into modern animation design is to accurately convey the stylistics of their traditional forms and dynamic characteristics and innovatively enrich this heritage. With the help of computer graphics technologies, the beauty of shadow dolls' silhouettes is preserved, the style is updated, the accuracy of color rendition and modeling details are improved, animated characters become more vivid and realistic. The design goes beyond imitation, using modern technologies to animate shadow puppets, adding smoothness of movement, brightness of emotions, and historical authenticity to them. This provides a new digital life to traditional images. Exquisitely selected shades of light and shadow enhance the visual impact on the viewer, expand the means of expression of the art of shadow puppet theater.

Figure 5. The stages of character creation. From the work experience of the author of the article.

(2) Innovative methods of using three-dimensional special effects technology

Exploring the integration of shadow puppet theater and modern animation, we can refer to the description of creative techniques of modern animated films in Ye Feng's article "Research on the processes of creating American three-dimensional animated cinema" ^[15]. With the help of 3D modeling technology, flat images of a shadow puppet theater can be turned into three-dimensional characters. By adding various animated special effects, such as fire and smoke, the audience can significantly enhance the feeling of involvement in the action on the screen. Yuan Shengchao ^[16] emphasizes in his article that motion capture technology allows you to capture the details of the performance of shadow theater artists and make the movements of animated characters more convincing. Modern animation combines interactive storytelling and multimedia, allowing viewers to delve deeply into the history of shadow puppet theater. These innovative techniques also expand the expressiveness of animation art and provide new opportunities for inheriting traditional culture.

(3) Modern interpretation of traditional cultural overtones

Inheriting the traditional cultural connotations of shadow puppetry, modern animation design should also focus on interpreting and spreading its modern values. Xie Yannan ^[17] in his article notes that a deep study of the stories, characters and moral concepts underlying shadow puppet theater gives animated films a deeper cultural authenticity. Modern interpretation is not a literal copying of traditional culture, but its innovative reinterpretation in a modern social context, taking into account the aesthetic, psychological and existential needs of the audience. Interactive projects, such as animated games and virtual reality, allow young people to more actively explore and assimilate the values of traditional culture, presented in a language they understand.

Conclusion

In the 21st century, China's animation industry is thriving successfully thanks to the development of politics, capital and technology. The key to success is a deep study of traditional culture, including its regional forms. An interdisciplinary analysis of the cultural significance of shadow puppet theater and its application in modern animation design proves that the synthesis of elements of shadow puppet theater and modern animation enhances the expressiveness of cartoons and successfully translates moral, artistic and technological values. Careful reinterpretation of cultural connotations makes it possible to preserve and promote in the figurative form of animated films such traditional virtues as loyalty, filial piety, bravery, which helps the younger generation to appreciate the historical significance of the classical cultural heritage. At the artistic level, Chinese animation design relies on the aesthetics of traditional art, the classics of painting and calligraphy, and the humorous presentation of subjects, combining them into a unique visual style. The latest technologies (three-dimensional animation, motion capture, special effects, and others) enrich animation design and open up new ways for modern interpretation of Chinese traditional culture and presentation of its wisdom and originality to the whole world. The market potential of the talented reinterpretation of traditional cultural elements in modern animation design ensures the commercialization of cultural products, promotes the development of cultural industries, increasing cultural trust, social and cultural diversity. Thanks to modern animation, traditional cultural forms can transcend linguistic and geographical boundaries and attract a wider international audience.

The article was the result not only of the author's scientific research, but also of his many years of practical experience in creating animated films that have been highly appreciated in China and abroad. Further research on this issue may be aimed at a comparative study of various schools of animation in China; analysis of the features of animation art of various ethnic groups in China; evaluation of future animated films that innovatively interpret the connotations of ancient Chinese culture, including shadow puppet theater.