Shadow play is an ancient traditional art of Han nationality in China. Do you know the characteristics of the shadow it uses?

Shadow play, formerly known as "shadow play" or "light shadow play", is a kind of folk drama that uses light to illuminate the silhouette of people made of animal skin or cardboard to perform stories. In the performance, the artists manipulated the opera characters behind the white curtain, sang stories with local popular tunes, and matched them with percussion instruments and strings, which had a strong local flavor. In rural areas of Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi, this simple Han folk art form is very popular with people.

Its performers manipulate silhouettes, sing or accompany music behind the scenes. Shadow play was once one of the most popular folk entertainment activities in the underdeveloped media such as film and television.

Shadow play is an ancient traditional art of Han nationality in China, and the old Beijingers call it "donkey shadow play". For thousands of years, this ancient art, accompanied by generations of ancestors, has spent many happy times. Shadow play is not only a puppet art, but also an authentic handicraft. It is made of cowhide, donkey skin, horse skin and mule skin through several processes such as material selection, carving, coloring, sewing and painting. Shadow play is exquisitely made, exquisite in craftsmanship and lively in performance. Influenced by many factors, such as the external environment, differences in animal cortex and so on, the modeling styles of shadow play vary from place to place.

By the Yuan Dynasty, shadow play had spread to various countries. This art form, which originated in China, has attracted many foreign opera lovers. People affectionately call it "China Shadow Play Lamp".

2, the production of shadow play

China has a vast territory, and shadow plays in different places have their own characteristics. However, the production procedures of shadow play are mostly the same. Usually, it is a complicated and wonderful process to go through eight processes, such as skin selection, skin making, draft drawing, manuscript passing, engraving, coloring, sweating and ironing, and hand carving more than 3,000 knives.