Shadow play (Pi Ying Xi), a traditional Chinese art form
originating in the Han Dynasty, has impressed hundreds of thousands
of people with its unique charm. However, the shadow play is
disappearing. The government has put it on the list of National
Nonmaterial Cultural Heritage to save this precious art
In a shadow play, shadows of ingenious leathern puppet images
are projected onto a thin curtain by background lighting. Then the
artists will move them behind the screen following the music and
singing, to tell the moving tales and legends to the audiences.
Shadow play requires very precise movement of the fingers to
make the puppets coordinate with the sound effect, and all the
artists must have a very good voice, as they have to sing
themselves. A good shadow play artists' training usually starts in
his/her childhood, or it will never make perfect coordination of
finger movement and good voice out of him/her.
Currently there is a very famous family shadow play troupe in
Shandong Province named Cheng. They give more than 60 shows every
year, bringing joys to many villages.
The puppets made by Cheng's troupe are the favorite items of
collectors, and some of them have even been collected by Shandong
Museum.
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(Chinanews.cn September 26, 2006)
