Shadow Puppetry is a kind of performing arts. It uses music and operatic singing to accompany silhouettes figures. These figures are manipulated to create the flat illusion of moving images in front of an illuminatedwhite curtain.Dolls and scenes which are called shadow puppets are usually hand-carved and painted leather products by folk artists. The vehicles, horses and monsters can also be played in shadow puppetry. Special effects such like flying, deformation, smoke and fire can all be expressed.Shadow puppetry could be perceived as the ancestor of both Chinese opera and modern film.Chinese shadow puppetry was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.
The head and limbs of the shadow puppet are carved separately and connected with threads. There are 12-24 body joints for free movement during the performance. A shadow puppet is manipulated with five bamboo sticks. The shadow puppet moves closely to the screen when performing. The figures and colors are really touching. Shadow puppets are generally made from donkey, cow or sheep skin and require more than a dozen procedures, each requiring meticulous techniques and specialized tools. The tools used by the carvers are homemade and their techniques are passed down from generation to generation by the masters.
In the past, when there were no movies and television, shadow puppetry was a very popular folk entertainment. The themes of the show include historical romance, folklore, love stories, myths and fables, modern fashion, etc. Common traditional plays include The Legend of the White Snake, The Romance of the West Chamber, Journey to the West, etc. While modern plays include Brothers and Sisters Cultivate Virgin Land, White-Haired Girl, Turtle and Crane and so on.
The musical singing style and rhythm of shadow puppetry in different places absorbed the essence of their local operas, folk arts and songs, thus formed many distinctive genres. Shadow puppets have large groups of seven to nine performers, as well as small groups of two to five performers. Many shadow puppeteersmaster special techniques like singing without music school or rehearsal, falsetto, manipulation of several puppets at the same time with both hands and one musician playing various musical instruments and singing throughout the show.The shadow puppet props are small and the performance is convenient, and there is no venue restrictions and the actors do not need formal training. Thus, the shadow puppetry is jokingly called the art of one carrying pole.
Chinese shadow puppetry can be traced back to 100 B.C. in the Yellow River region, where it culminated around 1300 A.D.Along with ancient military expeditions and overseas exchanges, the Chinese shadow puppetry has been introduced into Iran, Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, Britain, France, Italy and other Asian and European countries. For thousands of years, shadow puppetry has been an ancient art that entertained generations of ancestors. Nowadays, shadow puppet characters are finely carved for viewing, which emphasizes the artistry and decoration of shadow puppetry in daily life.
