![]() ![]() If the figurine was translucent and colored, the color was displayed in the shadow image on the screen. Color could be transposed depending on the strength of the light of the lamp. These ancient dramas or comedic cartoons even appeared in color. With added music and sound effects, the performance was made more entertaining. The lamp illuminated the screen from behind, and people could move little figurines around for theatrical performances. People, furniture, pagodas, walls and plants were shown on the screen by placing figurines or figures made of cardboard or leather on the shelf in front of the lamp. Performance TechniquesĪt a time when there was no flat-screen TV, people could cast images using a simple lamp, a shelf to hold figurines, and a thin screen or sheet of fabric to image the shadows. Shadow puppet theater was a popular entertainment in China for at least a thousand years, and it is still performed for entertainment. Even in rough military camps or in primitive villages, the people could entertain themselves by moving figures against a screen or sheet illuminated by a lamp.įor the royal courts or the rich people, the performers added refined music and sound effects, and the shadow theater performers might have been highly experienced. People staged dramas on screens and added musical entertainment and sound effects. Shadow puppet theater was mainly an evening entertainment. Three other types of puppet shows used rod puppets, glove puppets or marionettes on strings or wires. Shadow plays were one of the types of puppet theater that were popular in China before the modern era. Simple to perform, dramas were played out on screens or walls for thousands of years to entertain and instruct, and shadow theater is still performed in China. Today, shadow puppet shows face extinction like other traditional art forms.Shadow shows were once a popular form of entertainment, and they were also used for religious and instructional purposes. It was not until 1821 that the shadow puppet shows gained some vigor. When the Manchu rulers spread their ruler to various parts of China, they brought the puppet show with them tot make up for the fact that they could not appreciate local entertainment during to language barriers.įrom 1796 to 1800, the government forbade the public showing of puppet shows to prevent the spreading of peasant uprising at the time. In Beijing, for example, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, this folk art was so popular that there were eight generously paid puppeteers employed in one prince’s mansion. Shadow puppets were first made of paper sculpture, later from the hides of donkeys or oxen. This story recorded in the official book is believed to be the origin of shadow puppetry. The emperor was delighted and took to it from then on. He invited the emperor to watch a rear-illuminated puppet show behind a curtain. He made a cotton puppet of the concubine and painted it. Inspired by this scene, the smart minister hit upon an idea. One day, a minister happened to see children playing with dolls where the shadows on the floor were vivid. ![]() ![]() More than 2,000 years ago, a favorite concubine of Wu Emperor of the Han Dynasty died of illness the emperor missed her so much that he lost his desire to reign. History of Shadow Puppets – Chinese Folklore The scene is simple and primitive it is the consummate performance that attracts the audience. Shadow puppet looks similar to paper-cut except that their joints are connected by thread so that they can be operated freely. The stage of shadow puppet is a white cloth screen on which the shadows of flat puppets are projected. Shadow puppetry wins the heart of an audience by its lingering music, exquisite sculpture, brisk color and lively performance. The shadow puppets reveal a special world with their different figures on the screen and is praised by Frenchmen as “forerunner of film”.įeatures of the Shadow Puppet Show – Chinese Folklore Shadow puppetry in Shaanxi Province is believed to be the most typical and this art form originates from Hua Country of this province. Shadow Puppet as Artwork – Chinese Folkloreīesides the figures needed in a certain drama, the shadow puppets include heroes and heroines from folklore and history, such as the four ancient beauties, Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan, and Yang Guifei or the Monkey King, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, etc. ![]()
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