A Tale of Light and Shadow
Chinese shadow puppetry seeks to explore new avenues
Accompanied by music, a turtle and a crane fight in a humorous story created by the simple interplay of light and curtain. This Chinese shadow puppetry performance makes the audience laugh. Backstage, Lu Baogang, a national-level inheritor of Beijing shadow puppetry art, and the other performers of the shadow puppetry troupe manipulate the silhouettes with great skill.
In this room, the crane performs a series of complex movements that are particularly diffcult to handle. Having taken over from his father at the age of 15, Lu once spent hours at the zoo watching the cranes. At the age of 60, Lu, who is also the director of the Beijing Shadow Show Troupe, already has more than 40 years of experience in the art of shadow puppetry.
Chinese shadow puppetry, which combines the principles of light and shadow with the arts of drawing and singing, took shape in the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 8), reached its peak in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, and spread as far as Europe and Western Asia during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011, Chinese shadow puppetry is now facing the challenges posed by contemporary entertainment. Lu and other inheritors of this art from across China are seeking to reinvigorate the age-old tradition by exploring new avenues, attracting attention and appreciation for their quest for renewal.
Innovative development
Over the years, the number of spectators for Chinese shadow puppetry has declined. For artists of Lu’s generation, finding new ways to innovate is therefore a crucial challenge. He has long been aware that traditional shadow puppetry does not enjoy great success in the marketplace, being less popular than other art forms. That’s why his company has begun to explore inter-theatre fusion.
“This fusion involves combining shadow puppetry with other theatrical forms such as spoken theatre, musical comedy and puppet theatre. This is being
information and techniques. His videos are very popular on social media platforms. This year, new promotional plans are already under way.
The Beijing Shadow Show Troupe, where Lu Baogang works, also recognises the importance of the Internet. It has already collaborated with major Chinese Internet and tech platforms such as Bilibili and NetEase. The results of these collaborations have been highly beneficial. For instance, to promote a video game on Bilibili, they produced a promotional video featuring shadow puppetry, which attracted a considerable audience.
Despite his impending retirement in October, Lu has no intention of giving up his role in maintaining the art form’s survival. He said that pursuing innovative developments remains a priority. “The art of shadow puppetry is deeply rooted in our popular culture, and I am committed to perpetuating it. Nothing and no one can stop me, because that is the task of the inheritors.” he added.