BEIJING, April 21 -- Representative shadow play works from around China will be displayed from April 28 to 30 during the art week in Huazhou District of Weinan City, northwest Shaanxi Province, which is dubbed the "home of shadow play."
Co-organized by the Prince Kung's Palace Museum in Beijing and provincial and municipal authorities in Shaanxi, the event will also include academic forums and performances of intangible cultural heritage music, dances, and Chinese operas.
Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, dates back to the Han Dynasty around 2,000 years ago. Performers hold cowhide-carved figures between a source of light and a translucent curtain, make movements of the figures for storytelling, and add drum sounds and Chinese opera to accompany the movements.
Chen Xiaowen, the deputy curator of the museum, said at a press conference in Beijing that they will try to organize more state-level shadow play events in Weinan and establish a special committee for the art form in the city.