Culture Insider: Chinese shadow puppetry

Updated: 2014-08-13 07:00 (chinadaily.com.cn)

Shadow puppets from the Qing Dynasty are on display at the Shaanxi Art Museum. [Photo/IC]

1. A story about its historical origin

Chinese shadow play has a recorded history that's over 2,000 years old. A love story from "Hanshu (History of Han)" reveals the origin of the art.

When Lady Li, a beloved concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, died from illness, the emperor was so sad and in no mood for anything. One of his ministers, Li Shaoweng, once saw a child playing with a doll and he noticed that the shadow of the doll reflected on the ground seemed lifelike.

Inspired, Li went back home and made a figure of Lady Li using cotton and silk, and placed sticks on the figure's hands and feet to make it easy to manipulate.

When night came, he put up a curtain, lit a candle, and invited the emperor to sit before the curtain. Li manipulated the figure from behind the curtain. The emperor felt like he was seeing Lady Li again and was very happy. The shadow puppet play became the emperor's favorite pastime.

Folk artist Jing Tingxiao, 63 years old, presents Daoqing (a folk operetta originated from the chanting of Taoist scriptures) shadow play backstage at Chenqiyuan village in Huanxian county, Qingyang, Northwest China's Gansu province. More...

Folk artists get due honor

For the first time, folk craftsmen and artists from all over China have received national recognition for passing down their traditions. The Chinese National Academy of Arts presented the Xinchuan Award to 60 inheritors of traditional Chinese culture. More...


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