However, some artists are now using modern equipment to stage their shows, such as lighting, dyes and plastics to make puppets. These shows were known at that time a great success in France and in several European countries.Ĭurrently, in China, traditional shadow theater is still popular with Chinese people. French missionaries, returning from China, presented Chinese shadow theater performances in Paris and Marseilles during the 18th century. The Mongols then produced their own shows, which they exported to the lands they conquered, including the Ottoman Empire and the Western Territories.
In the 13th century, Mongolian soldiers who took part in the conquest of China entertained themselves by watching Chinese shadow plays. Nowadays, the plays performed in Chinese shadow theaters are essentially from local folklore.
The ancient repertoire featured traditional religious legends and legends, as well as dramas between the gods or stories of magic. This show makes it possible to diffuse among the population of the knowledge and to entertain it, it is very popular notably with the young people. It conveys information from social beliefs, local customs and oral traditions of China. Since its beginnings, the Chinese shadow theater has been transmitting the ancestral cultural values of the country to its spectators. The know-how of shadow puppeteers is transmitted from generation to generation within Chinese families or within the troops themselves.
Chinese puppetry professional#
We can distinguish the professional puppeteers who live from these shows and the amateur puppeteers who only occasionally occur when agricultural activity slows down. These shows are played for various occasions such as weddings, funerals, entertainment, or religious rites. Shadow puppetry troops are generally composed of seven to nine people, and small troupes are made up of two to five puppeteers.
This show also includes a small orchestra that supports the staging. Traditionally, the screen is a canvas and lighting is provided by an oil lamp. When projected on the screen thanks to the lighting, they are bright and colorful. Their heads are removable, which makes it easy to change their outfits. They are leather, are colored and are composed of eight to twelve different pieces. The traditional Chinese puppets of the shadow theater are thirty centimeters high in general. This ruse worked, and the Chu army retreated. He had the idea of having a large number of characters made and placed on top of the walls in order to make the enemy believe that he possessed an imposing army. Writings attest to this, and a Chinese legend attributes the creation of leather puppets to Liu Bang, the leader of the Han army, when he was besieged in a fortress by the Chu army. Indeed, it is in this country that appeared this type of spectacle, during antiquity, there are more than 2000 years. Here you will find a PiYing puppet made from calf leather, in a traditional way.Ĭhina is the true cradle of shadow theater. Today, pi ying is still made by craftsmen who The person handling the puppet also lends his voice to his character. During the show, they are placed behind a white silk screen and are lit from behind to project their shadow onto the screen. They are articulated and animated thanks to wooden sticks or metal long and thin. These figurines are delicately cut and openwork by craftsmen to obtain the desired shape. The leather used most often is lacquered and finely colored donkey skin, but some Chinese shadow puppets are created from sheepskin or calfskin. The Piying are made from a translucent and rigid parchment that craftsman coated with sophora oil. The puppets of the Chinese shadow theater are called pi ying, and the oldest documents attest that they were created at least two thousand years ago. The puppets of the Chinese shadow theater It was in China that shadow theater was invented, then this show spread to other countries in the world. This show consists of projecting shadows created by puppets onto a screen thanks to a light beam. It was inscribed in 2011 on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. Shadow theater is a traditional and popular show in China.
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