Out of the shadows?

Zhu Mojun is one of the few people alive who still knows how to perform Qibao style shadow play. The art form was almost on the point of extinction when Zhu was commissioned by the local government to arrest its decline six years ago. Since then a committed troupe has been built up consisting of seven members, all above retiring age. But finding younger people who are prepared to century-old tradition has been the toughest job of all.

Qibao shadow play originated some 120 years ago. And despite being named after the famous Qibao town in Minhang district, it is actually the representative shadow play art form for the whole of Shanghai. Unlike northern style shadow plays, the Qibao version is performed in suburban Shanghai dialect.

Unique art

Zhu is now the director of the newly built Qibao Shadow Play Theater located in Qibao town. The theater is today the only place where you can see this unique art form which is now listed as one of Shanghai's intangible cultural heritages.

Zhu, who grew up in Huacao just outside Qibao, recalled that he became a huge fan of Qibao shadow play as a boy.

"Whenever I heard there was a troupe coming, I would be ecstatic," the 67-year-old told the Global Times.

"They usually stayed at the village for three days. And I would ask a friend to take me by bike from village to village to watch the play."

Qibao shadow play theater enjoyed its heyday during the 1930s. "In all there were 54 troupes scattered around Shanghai. It was so popular they even played at radio stations, simply narrating the story lines with a musical accompaniment. Wealthy families would sometimes invite a troupe to their home for a performance during the holidays or if there was a marriage taking place," he said.

The troupes stopped performing from 1937 to 1945 during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. And almost all of the character models and instruments were destroyed, and the troupes dismissed, during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).

When Zhu was commissioned by the local government to save the art form in 2006, he realized he had a mammoth task on his hands.

"I searched the city, and finally found some performers. But these people hadn't practiced the art for decades. Some had already forgotten the skills they once knew, while others were simply too old or too ill to perform," said Zhu.

Suitable replacement

The biggest headache for Zhu is find a suitable replacement for his own job.

"The theater belongs to the government and I don't have any authority to recruit formal employees," he said. "I can only offer a basic salary of 2,000 yuan ($317) to work on a casual part-time basis, without a contract and without paying any social welfare for them. There was a young man who showed a strong interest, but when I told him the conditions, he backed out."

Zhu said that he believes there is very little chance of him finding a successor until changes are made as to how the theater is operated.

"I have been to Japan for folk art exchange programs. The artists there are given the right to find students and successors themselves. And the government will pay reasonable salaries," Zhu said.

Zhu added that some of the older performers at the theater are already leaving.

"There are two over 70 who will leave this year. I was lucky enough to find two 50-something performers who want to join us. But ideally shadow play should be performed by younger people as there is undeniable deterioration in the voices and body language of people as they age."

New elements

Zhu is now emphasizing injecting new elements into the art. He has commissioned a group of university students to translate the scripts into English, and has had some of the plays performed in English.

"Several students approached me for their graduation theses. I taught them the skills and let them put on a play in English. It received good reviews from overseas audience members," he said.

Zhu is now considering recruiting foreigners. "They are more than welcome to join, whether it's just for fun or if they want to become a serious folk artist," he said.

Zhu has recently started courses in several elementary and junior high schools in the hope of schooling the younger generation in the art form and in wider Chinese culture. He has also written new scripts based on children's stories in order to appeal to younger viewers.

And although Zhu has taught children to put on shows in Putonghua, he does not think the local dialect should be abandoned altogether. "There is value in persevering the original artistry, regardless of whether people understand it or not," he said.

Date: Wednesday and Sunday, 1 pm to 3 pm

Venue: Qibao Shadow Play Theater

Address: 95 Beixi Road, Qibao town, Minhang district

闵行区七宝镇北西街95号

Admission: 5 yuan