China has been celebrating Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on the second Saturday of June since 2016, and June 10 marks the Day this year.
Currently, five items of UNESCO intangible cultural heritages are from Guangdong or include a branch from the province. The Cultural Heritage in Focus series will shed light on these items, and this chapter is about Chinese shadow puppetry (Lufeng shadow puppetry).
Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theatre acted by colorful silhouette figures made from leather or paper, accompanied by music. Guangdong's Lufeng shadow puppetry is the only legacy of Chaozhou shadow puppetry, one of only three shadow puppetry categories in China.
(Photo: Nanfang Daily)
Originating in the Song Dynasty, Lufeng shadow puppetry has the genes of the ancient Minnan dialect and is inspired by the folk customs of Shanwei City. Its music incorporates the local Zhengzi opera, Lufeng fishing songs, and folk ditties, while ink painting, paper cutting, and various other traditional art forms are used in its stage design. Manipulated by puppeteers using rods, the figures create the illusion of moving images on a translucent cloth screen illuminated from behind.
Author| Holly
Poster| Mia
Editor| Wing, Olivia, Steven, Monica, James
