Face Changing: a Unique Skill of Sichuan Opera

"Changing Face" is a novel that explores the conflict and integration of traditional art and modern culture. The story started with Lu Linchuan, a top internet celebrity, tearing up an endorsement contract worth three million during a live broadcast, sparking heated discussions on the Internet. Lu Linchuan's move was not willful, but because of a sudden memory that made him realize the importance of the art of face-changing in Sichuan Opera. This memory comes from the Sichuan Opera artist Lu Yunting in the 1930s, Lu Linchuan's great-grandfather. He adhered to the belief that "the opera is bigger than the sky" and passed down the art of face-changing during the war. Lu Linchuan's agent, Sister Wang, despaired of his decision, but Lu Linchuan was determined by the promise in his memory. After a live broadcast, he met Chen Qingshan, Lu Yunting's senior brother, who brought a camphor wood box containing old Sichuan opera costumes, notes and a set of exquisite face-changing masks. The top mask was blank, symbolizing the highest state of face-changing art - "no form". Through Lu Linchuan's perspective, the novel shows how a modern artist chooses between the temptation of capital and cultural inheritance, and how he uses his influence and "gold fingers" (the inheritance of ancestors' memories) to revitalize traditional Sichuan Opera. The story not only reveals the contradiction between modernity and tradition, but also explores the individual's responsibility and mission in cultural inheritance. As the story develops, Lu Linchuan will face more challenges, including the company's secrecy and the doubts and ridicule of the entire network. However, he relies on his true skills and the guidance of his ancestor to make a comeback. The novel goes deep into the Sichuan Opera family, showing the complex emotions and conflicts between the three generations due to different times and concepts, and finally reaches understanding and inheritance.