Shadow

Shadow puppetry here refers to the silhouettes of characters made of animal skins or cardboard in shadow puppetry. Shadow puppetry, also known as "shadow play" or "lantern shadow play", is a traditional folk theater, which is recognized as a "pioneer of film" by the international film history theory community because of its combination of screen performance, accompaniment, rap and prop special effects. Shadow puppetry originated in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi Province, and later spread to Shanxi, Henan, Gansu and other places.

In the old days, shadow puppets were used as performance utensils and puppet crafts by professional craftsmen. Traditional shadow puppet making requires a high level of craftsmanship, from processing animal skins to carving and coloring. The exquisitely crafted shadow puppets show that their carving techniques are delicate, the colors are rich and gorgeous (mainly red, yellow, blue, green, and black), and the head details and facial expressions are realistic. Nowadays, shadow puppetry has gradually evolved into the form of handicrafts and is mass-produced by the assembly line. Of course, whether it is the appreciation value or the investment value, the traditional complete set of special shadow puppets for performances far exceeds the shadow puppets produced by the assembly line. However, shadow puppets for performances are hard to find in the market, and the whole set for sale is even more difficult to find.

The difference between the special shadow puppet for the performance and the ordinary shadow puppet produced by the assembly line is: first, the head of the special shadow puppet character for the performance can be loaded and unloaded, which is convenient for changing into different clothes during the performance; The head and body of ordinary shadow puppets are connected together; Second, all parts of the body of the shadow puppet can be moved, and three or five small bamboo sticks are used to connect the joints to control the movements of the shadow puppet figures; All parts of a normal shadow puppet cannot be moved; Third, the price of special shadow puppets for performances depends on the number and process, and the best products can reach more than 10,000 yuan; The price of ordinary shadow puppets ranges from a few tens to several hundred yuan.

Place of purchase: Shuyuanmen Cultural Street, scenic souvenir shop, introduced by industry insiders