Sometimes, a performance can last almost the whole night, as enthusiastic viewers keep asking for encores, according to Chen. His son is equally devoted to shadow-puppetry and was his father's avid student until the old man passed away in 1987 at the age of 73.Ĭhen says that his troupe does at least 100 shows every year, and each performance takes from three to six hours. With over 6,000 performances over the years, the troupe has won hearty acclaim from audiences that now total somewhere in the range of 500,000 people, according to Chen Shouke, head of the troupe.Ĭhen's father Chen Deyi founded the troupe when he was less than 20 years old. The troupe, founded in 1933 in Zaozhuang City, in east China's Shandong Province, has not only staged its wondrously orchestrated dramas in villages around the province, but has also toured more than 20 provinces and municipalities across the country. Take a creaking shoulder pole, three shabby cases of stage properties, and six simple-hearted performers who look like local villagers, and you have the Chinese shadow-puppetry troupe that calls itself Shanhua (Mountain Flowers). An artistic container of opera, literature, folklore, history, religion and art, it is revitalized in the modern-day ambience with movies and design.Shadow-puppetry, a traditional Chinese folk art with a history of more than 2,000 years, has embarked on a path towards revival after a period of decline, thanks to conservation efforts and lasting interest in the genre in rural areas.

“A meter of raw silk as the stage, ten fingers are all it takes to engage by the window in the moonlight, a show of two palms is such delight.” The harmonious co-existence of sounds, colors, light and shadow makes shadow puppetry a colorful addition to Chinese people’s leisure time. This is how the folk artists apply the right techniques based on different materials. The most used ones in practice are red, green and black, as yellow is the original color of the skins, and the light leaked through the cut-outs is naturally white. The favorite colors are the pure ones, and the “five traditional colors” are a motto to follow. The coloring is an essential step in making a shadow figure. The performer who sings and talks is called a Qiansheng (the primary vocal), who must polish his or her tones and pronunciation to the uttermost, and be proficient in playing instrument and singing a song. The singing, the talking, the movements and the stage fighting have to work seamlessly for the show to be perfect. Some would say that it was the rudiment for talkies, as in a shadow puppetry show, performers tell their story in the locally popular tone with music instruments playing in the background. The audience would see the profile of characters playing out the ups and downs of a story on a tiny curtain, which is precisely what the ancient called “a million soldiers in two hands.” The performers would hold joysticks in their hands that they would grab, grind, roll, and press to create flowing motions. Shadow puppetry is also about intertwining images. The amazing hands of artists create such a rich variety of carving patterns and lines, making the puppetry a folk art work that combine exquisite materials and wonderful techniques. The most common shadow puppet is made from the skins of ox or donkey that have been specially treated for translucency.

In lamp light, the shadow puppet looks crystalline and graceful, with the cut-out parts brighter than the rest, like a shallow relief sculpture. Shadow puppetry is all about the projection of light. According to historical records, shadow puppetry has a profound legacy as it was born in Western Han Dynasty (202-8 AD), became popular in Tang Dynasty(618-907) and prevalent in Ming (1368-1644)and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, reaching West Asia and Europe in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It is a popular opera art among Chinese people. Piyingxi, or Chinese shadow puppetry, is also called yingzixi(a play of shadow) or dengyingxi (a play of light and shadow) in Mandarin.

Chinese shadow puppetry history