chinese shadow puppetr

Chinese Shadow Puppetry

History of Shadow Puppets

More than 2000 years ago, a favorite concubine（妃子）of Wu Emperor of the

Han Dynasty died of illness; the emperor missed her so much that he lost his desire to

reign. One day, a minister happened to see children playing with dolls where the

shadows on the floor were vivid. Inspired by this scene, the smart minister hit upon an

idea. He made a cotton puppet of the concubine and painted it. As night fell, he

invited the emperor to watch a rear-illuminated （背后有光亮的）puppet show behind

a curtain. The emperor was delighted and took to it from then on. This story recorded

in the official history book is believed to be the origin of shadow puppetry.

Shadow puppets were first made of paper sculpture, later from the hides of

donkeys or oxen. That's why the Chinese name for shadow puppet is pi ying, which

means shadows of hides. Shadow puppetry was very popular during the Tang and

Song Dynasties in many parts of China.

Features of Shadow Puppet Show

Shadow puppetry wins the heart of an audience by its lingering （悠扬悦耳的）music, exquisite （精美的）sculpture, brisk （轻快明亮的）color and lively

performance.

One mouth tells stories of thousands of years; a pair of hands operates millions

of soldiers. This is how the shadow puppeteer works. Nicknamed the business of the

five, a shadow puppet troupe （剧团）is made up of five people. One operates the

puppets, one plays a horn, a suo-na horn, and a yu-kin （月琴）, one plays banhu

fiddle（板胡）, one is in charge of percussion （撞击）instruments, and one sings. This

singer assumes all the roles in the puppet show, which of course is very difficult. That

is not all; the singer also plays several of the over 20 kinds of musical instruments in a

puppet show. These ancient musical instruments enhance this ancient folk art.

The stage for shadow puppet is a white cloth screen on which the shadows of flat

puppets are projected. Shadow puppet looks similar to paper-cut except that their

joints are connected by thread so that they can be operated freely. The scene is simple

and primitive（原始）; it is the consummate （完美的）performance that attracts the

audience. For example, a puppet can smoke and breathe out a smoke ring with

operator help. In one drama, as a maid sits in front of a mirror, her reflection matches

her actions. The operator plays five puppets at the same time, each of which has three

threads. Ten fingers handle 15 threads. No wonder the operator is compared to the

1000-hand Kwan-yin（观音）.

To overcome the limit imposed when only the profile （侧面，轮廓）of puppets

can be seen, shadow puppets use exaggeration and heavy dramatization. The faces

and the costumes （服饰）of puppets are vivid and humorous. The flowery color, the

elegant sculpting and smooth lines make shadow puppets not only props （小道具）but also artwork. A shadow puppet takes as many as 24 procedures and more than

3000 cuts.

The design of the figures follows traditional moral evaluation and aesthetics. The

audience can tell a figure's character by seeing his mask. Like the masks in Beijing

Opera, a red mask represents uprightness（正直）, a black mask, fidelity（忠诚）, and

a white one, treachery（奸诈）. The positive figure has long narrow eyes, a small

mouth and a straight bridge of nose, while the negative one has small eyes, a

protruding（突出的） forehead and sagging （下垂的）mouth. The clown has a circle

around his eyes, projecting a humorous and frivolous （无足轻重的）air even before

he performs any act.

Lavish （大手笔的）background pieces including architecture, furniture, vessels

（器皿）and auspicious patterns are featured in shadow puppet shows. Earthy art that

it is, shadow puppet shows impress audiences by their vividness and refinement. A

framed puppet can be a novel and pleasant souvenir.