![]() ![]() ![]() This inspired him to make a cotton puppet of the concubine and painted it. One day, a minister happened to see children playing with dolls and saw vivid shadows of the dolls on the floor. After the death of Lady Li, a favorite concubine of Emperor Wu, the heartbroken emperor continued to think longingly of his deceased concubine and was thrown into melancholy. The historical record of this story is found in Ban Gu's Hanshu, or History of the Former Han. ( CC BY 2.0 ) The Chinese and Middle Eastern Legends of the Shadow PlayĪ popular Chinese legend from the second century BCE begins with the conjuring of a “shadow” of the deceased beloved concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). Shadow puppetry is so embraced by many different cultures that each culture seems to have their own history and legend of the first shadow play performance- therefore claiming it, or at least different versions of it, as their own. It has a long history in China, India, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, as well as in Turkey and Greece, surviving everything from war and famine to cultural revolutions. The art of shadow puppetry, or shadow play, is an ancient form of storytelling which utilizes flat figures (shadow puppets) to create cut-out figures which are then held between a source of light and a translucent screen. Plato's Allegory of the Cave by Jan Saenredam, 1604. However, it also illustrates an early example of the use of shadows and the significance of caves as sacred sites for the performance of religious ceremonies, as well as an early example of a performance of a shadow play. This story illustrates Plato's discussion on the illusory nature of all perceptions. The fire behind the puppets casts shadows of them and, according to Plato, they are seen as a form of reality by the fettered audience. The inscription refers to a shadow play performance where puppets of humans and animals were manipulated by a puppeteer in that cave. It has entertained the Chinese for centuries, bringing joy to them and raising their hopes.In his Republic, Plato mentions a cave in India with an inscription from the second century BCE. Shadow theater is a popular form of drama in China. They may help promote Chinese culture and contribute to the creation of new art forms,” said Sun Jianjun. We should preserve not only the puppets and props but also the theater texts and music. “We should preserve the tradition of our shadow puppetry. Ruffians and treacherous characters always have exaggeratedly large eyes and bushy eyebrows. ![]() The young male and female roles, for example, usually have an elegant, noble slant of forehead and nose. Their facial features are often exaggerated. The faces of the shadow figures – representing as they do human, supernatural, and animal beings – pose an intricate and interesting problem. Figures with faces represented in profile are more expressive and can be better animated and manipulated. Most of the faces of the shadow figures are depicted in profile. Shadow plays are a two-dimensional form because the puppets, scenery, and other props are all flat. Many of these are based on items existed in the past,” said Sun Jianjun. These include clothes, ornaments, towers, pavilions, furnishings, and scenery. The shadow puppeteers' property trunks contain most objects found in everyday life. “Chinese shadow puppetry shows a strong Chinese opera influence. The principal colors used are red, green, black, and yellow. The method of dying is derived from Chinese New Year's pictures. The hair and remaining flesh are scrapped off, leaving a thin, translucent skin that makes an ideal raw material for creating a shadow puppet.Īfter the puppets have been carved, they are dyed in bright colors to enhance the puppets' appearance and make them more eye-catching. Then it is stretched tightly across a wooden frame and left to dry until it is flat and even. First, the raw pelt is soaked in clear water or limewater. Preparing a hide that will be used to make a shadow puppet requires special tanning and processing techniques. The puppets are made of ox, sheep, or donkey skin. It was Buddhism that helped shadow puppetry spread in China,” said Sun Jianjun, associate professor of School of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University. Religious art was a major influence on the shapes and manufacture of shadow puppets. Its birth, development, and spread were closely related to religious culture. “Chinese shadow puppetry had much to do with religion. Shadow puppets are not only essential elements of stagecraft but also lovely handcrafted objects of art in their own right. Shadow puppetry is a combination of performing arts and the art of carving. It has been a popular form of entertainment in China for centuries. Shadow puppetry, one of the oldest performing arts in the world, appeared in China long before the invention of motion pictures and television. ![]()
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