With its unique performance form, shadow puppetry has become a very bright star in the world of Chinese folk art. For thousands of years, shadow puppetry has flourished and led all the coquettishness.
As for the origin of shadow play, there is still no conclusion in the academic circles. Some scholars believe that it can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty. There are also records that during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the palace maids cut tung leaf shadows for entertainment. The shadow puppets at this time were the germination of shadow puppets. In the Tang Dynasty, shadow figures were used to give lectures on Buddhist matters and promote Buddhism. Song peoples notes record a lot of movie content, which shows that movies were very common at that time. At first, shadow puppets were carved on plain paper, and later on, they were carved on leather and colored. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the heyday of shadow puppets, the repertoire was very rich, the cluster carving techniques were extremely sophisticated, and the leather used was mainly cowhide and sheepskin. There are three major shadow puppet centers in Huayin, Shaanxi, the western shadow puppets of Huaxian, the northern shadow puppets of Luanzhou, Hebei, and the southern shadow puppets of Lin'an "Painting Society" and two major shadow puppet modeling systems in the north and south. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Chinese shadow puppets have traveled across the ocean as envoys of friendship. Through the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, they have spread to South Asian islands, Egypt, Persia, Turkey, France, Germany and other countries. They have played an important role in cultural exchanges between China and the West. , and is considered a "pioneer of film" by film historians.
Shadow drama, which integrates engraving, painting, music, opera and other arts, is one of the ancient Chinese dramas and contains rich cultural connotations; shadow figures are not only props for performances, but also works of art that can be displayed independently , embodying the wisdom of generations of folk artists.
Hunyuan box
Creation period: (scenery) Ming Dynasty, (character) Qing Dynasty
Specifications: 130×180cm
The play tells the story of Zhao Guosheng, a supervisor in the Ming Dynasty, who saw a beautiful woman, knew she was a fox, got drunk, stole the foxs elixir and swallowed it. Later, when Zhao Dezhong visited Jiangxi, the two demons Qingshi and Baishi avenged the fox, stole Zhaos official seal, and took the opportunity to break the magic power of Zhang Tianshis seal, and were burned to death by the Tianshi. Zhao Fan falsely accused the Celestial Master of using sorcery to harm people. As a memorial, the emperor summoned the Celestial Master to the capital for questioning. On the way, he was killed by a group of demons. The Celestial Master relied on the Hunyuan Box to subdue him. The emperor questioned Zhao Guosheng, but Zhao fled in fear of guilt. The picture shows the meeting scene at the Tianshi Golden Palace.
Eight Immortals Celebrating Birthday
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Farewell My Concubine
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Havoc in Heaven
Author: Yang Naiquan
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Single sword skills
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
The emperor goes on tour
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Du Shiniang
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Folk Flower Party (1)
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Folk Flower Party (2)
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Water floods Jinshan
Era of Creation: Qing Dynasty
Specifications: 130×180cm
Shuiman Jinshan Temple
Author: Liu Jilin
Era of Creation: Contemporary
Specifications: 130×180cm
Material: donkey skin
Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea
Era of Creation: Qing Dynasty
Specifications:130×180cm
Broken Bridge
Era of Creation: Qing Dynasty
Specifications: 130×180cm
Three visits to the thatched cottage
Era of Creation: Qing Dynasty
Specifications: 130×180cm
Welcoming honor guard
Era of Creation: Qing Dynasty
Specifications: 130×180cm
