Bian lian
The Sichuan opera art of switching painted masks in a split second, with a turn of the head or a sweep of the sleeve.
Also: face-changing
Bian lian, "face-changing", is part of Sichuan opera, from Sichuan province in southwest China. Performers wear layers of thin painted silk masks and change them in a fraction of a second, so the face appears to transform. Older forms included blowing powder or wiping paint across the face. The method was long kept within families and troupes and is still closely guarded. Chengdu teahouses stage it nightly for visitors.