Lifestyle
Shedding new light on China’s art of shadow puppetry
By Li Qing  ·  2022-06-21  ·   Source: Web Exclusive

In Wang Jinsong’s childhood, shadow puppetry, a theatrical performance that uses the shadow of puppets cast onto a screen, was a form of children’s entertainment. “The artists manipulating their puppets on strings absolutely fascinated us,” Wang, Deputy Curator of Tangshan Museum, told Beijing Review. He was born in a small village in Tangshan, Hebei Province. 

When the lights went on, a sense of excitement would fill the air, and viewers would wholly immerse themselves in the play. Wang referred to the folk art as “magic,” not because of the performers’ techniques, but because of the happiness the genre used to bring to the village in the old days. 

Dating back 2,000 years, shadow puppetry which combines painting, carving, opera, literature and music, is seen as the prequel to film and animation in China. Today, it still provides a lot of inspiration for Chinese cartoons, captivating generations of audiences.  

At the same time, different schools emerged in different places, such as Shanxi Province, Beijing and Hebei Province. Tangshan shadow play belongs to the Hebei branch. Going through ups and downs in the last 400 years, it has developed into an established school comprising particular characters, singing and musical accompaniment. “It has had a great impact on the development of many shadow puppetry schools in North China,” Wang said.  

Classic Tangshan shadow puppetry exhibit at Beijing Lu Xun Museum on February 18, in Beijing (YIN KANG)  

In 2012, staff of Tangshan Museum came across numerous shadow puppets crafted during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the early Republic of China (1912-49). The museum has since expanded, creating more space for the storage and display of shadow puppets.  

The museum later staged a retrospective, which traveled to many cultural institutions worldwide, but the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted its journey in recent years.   

But the exhibit at Beijing Lu Xun Museum garnered positive visitor feedback in the first months of 2022. More than 120 puppets, five sets of scripts and 28 records were on display there. “We invited artists to present the folk art and audiences are really into it,” Wang said. “Generally, the heads and bodies of shadow puppets are detachable; they can be assembled in various ways to serve different storylines.”  

In Tangshan shadow puppetry, artists manipulate their puppets on strings behind the screen while one artist tells a story through song, at times improvising as they go along. Musicians and other puppet handlers adjust their parts accordingly.  

Wang Jinsong, Deputy Curator of the Tangshan Museum (YIN KANG)

“The ‘song scripts’ are the most difficult part to inherit,” Wang said. In the past, students could only learn them by carefully taking in their teacher’s performance. Due to low income and extensive training, young people today were less willing to study shadow play. 

Fortunately, its development has gained attention. In 2016, shadow play was included on the national intangible cultural heritage list. It’s been introduced in schools as part of local culture, and has gained many more young fans this way.  

According to Wang, the Tangshan Shadow Puppetry Troupe has been receiving more government support and provides viewers with more innovative and high-quality performances.  

In 2019, Tangshan built a park themed on the genre where visitors can learn more about the culture and history of shadow puppetry. “We hope to revive the ancient art in a modern and fun way,” Li Shaohui, manager of the park told Xinhua News Agency.  

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

Comments to liqing@bjreview.com 

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