What is the shadow play of traditional folk art in China usually made of?

Shadow play, also known as "shadow play" or "light shadow play", is a kind of folk drama that uses the silhouette of characters made of animal skin or cardboard to perform stories. Shadow puppets are usually made of animal skins, including donkey skins, cowhide, sheepskin and pig skins.

Shadow play is an ancient traditional folk art in China, and old Beijingers call it "donkey shadow play". According to historical records, shadow play began in the Western Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and spread to West Asia and Europe in the Yuan Dynasty. It has a long history.

The performance form of shadow play

Shadow play, formerly known as "shadow play" or "light shadow play", is a kind of folk drama that uses light sources such as candles or burning alcohol to illuminate the silhouette of people made of animal skin or cardboard to perform stories.

During the performance, artists manipulated the opera characters behind the white curtain, sang stories with local popular tunes (sometimes in dialects), accompanied by percussion instruments and strings, which had a strong local flavor. In rural areas such as Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Tianshui, Gansu, this simple Han folk art form is deeply loved by people.