Shadow Puppetry
Shadow Puppetry is a form of traditional Chinese folk art that uses colored leather or paper silhouette figures that perform to music and song. During the performance, puppeteers manipulate the figures using wooden rods to create an effect of moving images on a translucent cloth screen that is illuminated from behind, creating a unique artistic effect.
Shadow Puppetry dates back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 25). It flourished during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), matured and gained popularity during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and spread to Western Asia and Europe during the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). By the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) it had become a popular art form throughout the country. Over time, it evolved into different artistic schools. Shadow Puppetry retained its popularity before the advent of film and television.
Shadow Puppetry draws on the techniques and styles of silk paintings, portrait stones, and portrait bricks of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D. 220), as well as temple murals from
the Tang and Song dynasties. During the performance, the puppeteer manipulates the puppet's movements against the screen, bringing to life various complex scenes on the screen with remarkable vividness. At the same time, the puppeteer sings the story using popular local melodies, accompanied by percussion and stringed instruments, resulting in an interesting and entertaining performance. Some of the most popular Shadow puppetry plays include the Legend of the White Snake, Female Generals of the Yang Family, and Journey to the West.
Shadow Puppetry passes on culture, folk beliefs, oral traditions and local customs. It spreads knowledge and promotes cultural exchange. Chinese Shadow Puppetry has been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This form of folk art has a global following, with foreign admirers referring to it as "Chinese shadow", "Eastern magical art", and "Ancestor of cinema".
皮影戲
皮影戲，就是以皮制或紙制的彩色影偶形象，伴隨音樂(lè)和演唱進(jìn)行表演的一種戲劇形式，是中國(guó)民間傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)。皮影戲藝人在幕后用木桿操控影偶，通過(guò)光線(xiàn)照射在半透明的幕布上創(chuàng)造出動(dòng)態(tài)的形象，具有獨(dú)特的藝術(shù)效果。
皮影戲始于西漢時(shí)期，興于唐代，在宋代成熟和盛行，元代傳至西亞和歐洲，到清代呈現(xiàn)全國(guó)流行的繁榮局面。在電影電視沒(méi)有普及的時(shí)代，皮影戲深受中國(guó)各地民眾歡迎， 在長(zhǎng)期演化過(guò)程中形成了不同的藝術(shù)流派。
皮影的藝術(shù)創(chuàng)意汲取了中國(guó)漢代帛畫(huà)、畫(huà)像石、畫(huà)像磚和唐、宋寺院壁畫(huà)的手法與風(fēng)格。表演時(shí)，藝人一邊緊貼幕布操控影偶肢體活動(dòng)，真切地表現(xiàn)各種復(fù)雜的場(chǎng)景，一邊用當(dāng)?shù)亓餍械那{(diào)唱出故事內(nèi)容，同時(shí)配以打擊樂(lè)和弦樂(lè)，聲情并茂、動(dòng)人心弦。皮影戲常見(jiàn)劇目有《白蛇傳》《楊家將》《西游記》等。
皮影戲傳遞文化歷史、社會(huì)信仰、口頭傳統(tǒng)和當(dāng)?shù)仫L(fēng)俗等信息，在知識(shí)傳播和文化交流中發(fā)揮積極作用，入選人類(lèi)非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)代表作名錄。這種源于中國(guó)的民間藝術(shù)形式，吸引了許多國(guó)外戲迷，被稱(chēng)為神奇的“中國(guó)影子”“東方魔術(shù)般的藝術(shù)”“電影的鼻祖”。
