Shadow Puppetry in China,Chinese Shadow Puppetry

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Shadow puppetry is generally performed with small jointed figures, behind a backlit screen to enact a story. The origins of puppetry are uncertain, although most historians believe that the appearance of shadow puppetry in China is the first recorded example of the art.

A puppet is a small figure that is controlled by a person through a system of strings or rods and nearly always require intricate hand movements to operate. Early puppets were masks used in primitive religious ceremonies, and evolved to resemble the human form.

In China shadow puppets were made from stretched donkey skins, dried sheep skin, water buffaloes, pigs, or fish. Shadow puppets are translucent figures colored with paints. These figures are placed in front of a screen lit from behind so that the shadow the puppets make are clearly visible to the audience.

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Shadow Puppetry