中国范儿154 毛猴：方寸之间展世间百态

毛猴：方寸之间展世间百态

Hairy monkeys: A glimpse of old Beijing

在北京，有一种特有的民间艺术品，叫做毛猴。毛猴不是真的猴子，是用中药材做成的工艺品，取蝉蜕的头做“猴”头；辛荑，也就是玉兰花越冬的花骨朵儿做“猴”身；蝉蜕的爪子做毛猴的手和四肢——一只活灵活现的小猴子就诞生了。

Beijing is home to a unique folk art called "hairy monkey". The hairy monkey is not an actual monkey, but a handicraft made of traditional Chinese herbs. The head of cicada slough is used as the head of the “monkey” while the torso is made of the flower buds of Magnolia. The paw of cicada slough makes up the hand and limbs of the hairy monkey to give the figurine a complete form.

“半寸猢狲献京都，惟妙惟肖绘习俗。”搭配不同的动作、道具和场景，毛猴就可以模仿五行八作各式各样的人物了。这些丰富的场景，来源于手艺人们记忆中的老北京。老北京的手艺人凭着对各类人、事、物的细微观察，将老北京的市井生活运用到毛猴的艺术创作之中，用他们的巧思赋予了毛猴深厚的艺术价值和社会价值。过去，毛猴作品主要以反映各个行业、民情风俗为多，推小车的、卖糖葫芦的、算卦的……还有更加完整的艺术作品，如“县官出巡”、“娶亲行列”等等。如此做成的毛猴，似人非人、似猴非猴，既透着猴子的古灵精怪，又能表现出人的喜怒哀乐，越看越有趣。

“Measuring half an inch, these monkeys bring customs of the capital alive”. With different actions, props and scenes, the hairy monkey can imitate all kinds of characters in various situations. These rich scenes come from the ways of life in old Beijing — the streets and wedding rituals — which are etched in the memory of craftsmen. With their subtle observation of people, things and objects, the craftsmen brought a slice of the Beijing of yore to the artful depictions of hairy monkeys. They could be pushing handcarts, selling sugar gourd or acting as fortune tellers, bringing alive traditions of the past for buyers of today. Then there are other elaborate works of art, such as "county officials on patrol", "marriage ranks" and so on. The hairy monkey resembles a human but clearly isn’t one, at the same time, it looks like a monkey but isn’t a monkey. It captures the essence of the ancient spirit of the monkey while displaying human emotions such as happiness, anger, sadness and joy. The more you understand the concept, the more fascinating it appears.

在老北京的庙会上，“买猴料，粘毛猴”曾是过年必有的一景，无论穷人还是富人，都会为自己的孩子买一只毛猴过节。简单中夹杂着精致，朴素中饱含着韵味，北京毛猴在数百年间依靠着它的魅力，从一代孩子传递到另一代孩子的手中。

At the temple fair in old Beijing, buying ingredients to make hairy monkeys was once a must for the new year. Poor or rich, parents would buy a hairy monkey for their children. A simple object yet full of charm, the allure of the hairy monkey has lasted through hundreds of years among children.

小小的玻璃瓶里，装的是世间百态。手艺人们代代传承，粘出了“旧人、旧事儿、旧时光”，也粘出了“新时代、新期许”，在这方寸之地诉说着人生悲喜。

Often housed in a small glass bottle, a hairy monkey can depict anything in the world. The exquisite craftsmanship has been handed down from generation to generation to tell tales of the people and events in the past and incorporate new wishes in the new times while narrating themes of joy and sadness from a confined space.

来源：中国网

长按识别二维码可关注该微信公众平台

往期回顾