Chinese shadow puppetry highlighted in Beijing visual art show

Portraying historic sites and sceneries in Haidian District, the artwork is designed to fuse the arts of shadow puppetry and Chinese landscape painting. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Chinese shadow puppetry, also called "shadow play", is a treasure of Chinese folk culture. However, now that people have more entertainment options, as a traditional art, shadow puppetry is in decline.

To protect this traditional culture, a visual art show featuring this intangible cultural heritage was held by China Resources Land and Han Feizi Shadow Play Troup on April 24, 2016 in Beijing.

An art installation created by three young Chinese artists, Han Chi, Han Xing and Zhao Kai was presented in the show, which features a fusion of shadow puppetry and Chinese landscape painting. The artwork portrays historic sites and sceneries in Haidian District, Beijing.

"We hope to inform more people about shadow puppetry and protect our intangible cultural heritage through this event," said Han Chi, director of the Han Feizi Shadow Play Troup.

Shadow puppetry is a form of Chinese folk opera in which the puppeteer holds carved puppets, so their shadows are projected on a curtain to act out a story. First invented in the Han Dynasty, it has a history of over 2000 years in China.