Beijing Shadow Puppet
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Shadow puppet play is an antique and traditional art in China.The old Beijing called it Donkey Shadow Puppet.During thousands of years,it gave our ancestors a great amount of happiness.It belongs to puppet play not only,also a kind of genuine craft.Shadow puppet has elegant making,exquisite crafts and vivid play.Its material include skin of donkey,horse and mule.After choosing material,carving,coloring,sewing,painting etc,a puppet is finished.
According to records,shadow puppet has a long history of over 1000 years.It is said that shadow puppet have appeared since Ming Dynasty.In 1508,Beijng held a hundred-play meeting,shadow puppet joined in that.
Others said that shadow puppet entered Zhuozhou,Hebei Province from Lanzhou and Huating since mid-Ming Dynasty.Then it came into west Beijing and Beijing villages.At last it became part of city’s life,having east city and west city.To Qing Dynasty,Beijing shadow puppet was quite common.It was popular with people.In Kangxi Period,there were people who managed shadow puppet play specially in royal court.In Jiaqing years,shadow puppet were often invited to play for rich families.At that time,people enjoyed puppet plays during the day and watched shadow puppet plays at night.
Beijing shadow puppet do well in line carving.Since the mid-Qing Dynasty,learning from Peking Opera,shadow puppet had some changes in its style.With the artists’ large efforts,shadow puppet develops and improves continuously.
However,it is hard to be a player for shadow puppet.He should know how to sing,read the scripts;he should know how to manage the puppets.So from puppet’s actions and expressions,one’s ability can be seen most often.
Shadow puppet gives classical and graceful taste to Beijing art.It gets great recognition from Beijng people,especially the old and children.Beijing shadow puppet inherits the features of West faction Shadow puppet.In addition,lots of foreigners like shadow puppet very much.Many exquisite shadow puppet figures are collected by foreign museums.Nowadays,the ancient art of shadow puppet still enrich people’s lives in culture.It takes people to a perfect art world.
