◎V.Time-honored Shadow Play

It is a true portrayal of shadow play, an ancient folk art in China, that“telling the story of the past with a mouth, and dancing millions of soldiers with both hands.” Hebei shadow play has a history of more than 600 years.It is a form of opera that uses animal skin or cardboard to cut images and perform stories by use of light.Watching shadow play was a common custom in Qinhuangdao decades ago.Behind the scenes, shadow paly performers control the actions of the actors engraved with donkey skin, accompanied with words and background music, and even songs in some cases to perform story plots.

Once upon a time, shadow play troupes were often found in urban and rural areas.Six or seven performers, with a box of shadow puppet actors,could perform 50 or 60 performances.A shadow play troupe is invited to perform not only on festivals and festive days, but on an old person's birthday or when a baby has completed his/her first month of life.Shadow play is not limited to venues.Whether in the hall, on the square or courtyard, it can be performed just with a platform.The screen for shadow play is made of a piece of white gauze polished with fish oil.Such a screen is transparent and bright, so that shadow play can give appropriate and vivid performance for not only big scenes such as marching carriages and horses, but also small details such as eyebrows, eyes and hair.

Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people performing shadow play,but the technique of engraving shadow puppets has been passed down.Many people who love this folk art have been working tirelessly on it in Qinhuangdao.