4. Conclusion

Here I only give a simple introduction to the Shadow Play, Chinese traditional artistic performance form, which is including its definition, its development history, several important branches as well as current situation. Except for this, the Shadow Play also has other aspects worth paying attention to. Not merely the Shadow Play, Peking opera, paper-cutting, Qinqiang (Shaanxi opera), Kunqu opera and so on, all these can be called as treasure of Chinese traditional art, all these should be concerned. As English majors, we should have the understanding to the culture of American and European countries, but as a Chinese, we should pay more attention to our own country’s outstanding cultural traditions.

Bibliography

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3. Shadow Play Today

3.1 The Problems Shadow Play Faced in Nowadays

Originally originated in this place, developed in this place, Chinese Shadow Play should have vaster space for it to continue to carry forward as well as gain the audience’s affection, but things didn’t turn out as intended. Time when the science and technology turbulent tide rolls up like a mat, on the one hand, it has brought each kind of dazzling new products. The enlargement of TV popularities drove people’s vision from the outdoors into the house, and the changeable TV programs became the fundamental mode as the time killer. Under the impact of television, the traditional folk

2.4 The Main Genres of Shadow Play

2.4.1 Gansu shadow play

Shadow plays are a folk art, and the Longdong shadow plays originated in rural areas of China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, as well as the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

2.3 Shadow Play Performance

Today's shadow puppets are made of leather instead of wood for the simple reason that leather is much lighter, easier to manipulate and carry round. The process for making the puppets is as follows: Sheep or donkey skin with hair removed is cleaned and treated chemically to become thin enough to be translucent. Coated with tung oil and dried, it is carved into various parts of dramatic figures. The trunk, head and limbs of a puppet are separately carved but joined together by thread so that each part may be manipulated by the operator to simulate human movements. The leather puppets are painted with various colors to show their different qualities-- kind or wicked, beautiful or ugly. During the performance, the 'actors' are held close to a white curtain with their colored shadows cast on it by a strong light from behin

2. Basic Information about Shadow Play

2.1 What is Shadow Play?

Shadow Play, which can also be called “Chinese Shadow Play or Chinese Shadow Puppet Show”, is a special drama rooted in China. It is a kind of performing art with manifold arias and genres. As an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment, it uses opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving image.

Shadow Play wins the heart of an audience by its lingering music, exquisite sculpture, brisk color and lively performance.

Abstract

   There is an art, which as an drama, it is appeared 1800 years earlier than Shakespeare; Which uses image as its means of performance, but before the brothers of Lumiete developed the movie cameras, it had already existed for 2100 years; it is purely a kind of folk music which includes the spirit of “Rock n’ roll”, but it is 2150 years earlier than Elvis Presley, The Hillbilly Cat. This art is unique in China, and it is called the Shadow Play. As one of the elements of Chinese traditional folk culture, the Shadow Play has its own long history, and wins the popularities because of its excellent workmanship and distinct singing way. The Shadow Play is also the first and the earliest art form that explores its way into the

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