Students try the shadow puppet guided by artist Zhang Jin at a primary school affiliated to the No. 2 middle school in Shahe city, north China's Hebei Province, April 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)
Two warriors in ancient costume fight ferociously. Suddenly, to the dramatic sound of drums a red-faced warrior pulls out his sword before beheading his white-faced enemy.
This is not a scene from a film, but a traditional Chinese shadow puppet performance, where colored silhouette figures made from cow hide show how Guan Yu, a prominent ancient general, fought during his many battles.
Behind the curtain is the soul of the performance -- puppeteer Wang Biao. Using his flexible hands, and voice, he makes the small figures stroke their beards, nod their heads, wave their hands and curse others.
"This performing art has run in my family for seven generations," said Wang, 52, from Langzhong city in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Despite its long history, shadow puppetry is under threat from modern entertainment alternatives such as television and cinema.
Wang is trying to bring people's attention back to the traditional art. With the support of a national fund, he is currently teaching 20 students from across the country to learn the skills needed to master the puppets.
"I hope that such folk culture will survive the threat of modernity and thrive in the future," he said.
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
Shadow puppetry has a long history. Ancient Chinese historical records show that shadow plays were originally created by a Chinese Taoist during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. to 220 A.D.) to console the heartbroken Emperor Wu, who had lost one of his imperial concubines. The Taoist made a stone image of the concubine and put it in a tent by a burning candle. The shadow cast looked like his loved one and helped his sadness faded away.
Over the next two thousand years, the stone figures gradually became cowhide ones, and the tents were turned into curtains. Performers then added drum sounds and Chinese opera to the movement of the figures, and the shadow play was born.
Wang Biao watched a shadow performance when he graduated from junior school.
"I thought it was humorous and eye-catching, and the figures were quite colorful," he said.
Wang's grandfather, a renowned shadow puppet performer in northern Sichuan, would take Wang along during his performances.
"He even paid a professional shadow performer to teach me," Wang said.
However, learning is very difficult and it can take years before puppeteers are ready to go on stage.
