Investigation And Research Of The Existing Ancient Temples In Qingxu County, Shanxi Province

As a subsidiary building of the ancient temple,most ancient temple stages were built in Qingxu County,Shanxi Province.With the development of history,although the ancient temple stage was damaged by nature and man-made sabotage,some parts are still preserved so far,which provides an important medium for us to study the stage architecture of Qingxu County.According to relevant literature and field investigations,there are only 19 ancient temple theaters in Qingxu County at present,center on the remains of Ming and Qing Dynasties;they are mainly distributed in 14 townships mainly in Xugou Town and Dongyu Town,presenting characteristics of more in the west and less in the southeast.Based on the positional relationship between the stage and the mountain gate and combined with the actual investigation,these existing ancient temple stages can be divided into the four types: the stage and the mountain gate are in one type;the stage is located inside the mountain gate,the stage is located outside the mountain gate and other theaters.The ancient temple opera stage is not only a place for ancient sacrifices,but also a place for opera entertainment performances.It has diverse architectural styles and distinctive stage decoration art.The plane layout of the existing ancient temples in Qingxu County can be divided into three categories: three-sided open-out,one-sided open-framed and combined.Judging from the main structure of the stage,the roof shape is mostly compound and dependent,and the roof of the canopy is the main roof sculpture;the opening direction of the stage is mostly facing north;the base of the stage is mostly stone brick,and the column foundation is made of stone wood.Judging from the decorative style of the stage,there are many dragon-shaped hollow carvings on the stage’s bucket arches and sparrows;the stage’s bow and the eight-character shadow walls are carved out of brick,and the corridor eaves are carved out of wood.The paintings are brilliant in color,with themes such as landscape paintings and realistic paintings;the plaques are wood engraved,and the couplets are in various forms,which can be divided into holding pillars,carvings,and direct red couplets.In order to increase entertainment and decoration,part of the stage is built with a wall of eight-character shadows,and auspicious patterns are carved on the wall,thereby making the stage more beautifully decorated.Among the existing ancient temples in Qingxu County,only Yaomiao Theater of Yaocheng Village,Dongliangquan Theater Ximayu Village,Xiangyan Temple Theater Dongmayu Village and Zhenwu Temple Theater East Liaoxi Village are inscribed.The stage inscription is an important carrier to understand the development and change of the local drama culture,mainly recording the performance time of the drama,the name of the track,the participants and the performance location,etc.,to a certain extent,which increases our understanding to the traditional oprea culture of Qingxu County in Ming and Qing Dynasties.