A renowned inheritor of Chinese shadow puppetry in Shaanxi Province has brought a modern twist to the traditional theatrical performance, fascinating audience with consummate skills and creative ideas.
Chinese shadow puppetry, or shadow play, is probably one of the most ancient arts using light and shadow, thousands of years before its much more popular successor, the film. Generally, it is a combination of various art forms involving painting, carving, music, opera performance and storytelling.
Despite its many genres, the shadow art in Huazhou County in Shaanxi Province is among the most acclaimed, being listed as an intangible cultural heritage item under the state protection in 2006.
In the local Shadow Puppet Expo Park, a play featuring Nezha, a household name that regularly appears in Chinese mythology, was being staged to recount the folk deity's well-known story of fighting his way to become a hero. But different from a traditional shadow puppet show, the story was being presented in a way similar to modern films. The large curtain and the multimedia tools created an immersive visual feast of light and shadow for the audience.
"It's wonderful. This is the first time I've seen a shadow puppetry show with [modern] projection elements. It's like watching cartoons," said Yang Xiaoqing, a visitor.
"This is my second time watching this play. I was wowed by it the first time I saw it. The sound, light and the special effect of lightning were very well done," said Shao Changpu, a shadow puppetry performer from Beijing.
According to the inheritor Xue Hongquan, they have made multiple adjustments to the original performance to make it more vivid and impressive.
"The screen for traditional shadow plays is only 1.5 meters [in both length and breadth]. But now our screen is 5 meters long and 2.2 meters wide, similar to the screen in a cinema. We also install lights on the Wind-and-Fire Wheels [Nezha's weapon] and enable it to rotate. These are what differ from the traditional show," said Xue.
The artist is also famous for his craftsmanship in making puppets used in the performances. His award-winning work "Fanwang" features sophisticated puppets made of well-selected leathers from cattle after going through more than 30 steps of processing including soaking, scraping, grinding, carving, dyeing, and embellishment.
"It took me over a month to finish the work. Its craftsmanship is mainly embodied in the craving of hairs, which are rolled up one by one. Even a little bit breakage is not allowed. They should have same degree of thickness, be smooth and vivid. Why are our shadow puppets in Huazhou, Shaanxi so delicate? I think it has a lot to do with the techniques," Xue said.
Traditional Chinese shadow puppetry given a modern twist in Shaanxi
China's space station is operating stably and demonstrating significant efficacy, according to a report released by the China Manned Space Agency on Monday.
The agency, which compiled the report to "mark the two-year anniversary of the space station's full establishment," said that such a report will be released annually based on the progress of the ongoing space missions.
It is the first report released by China detailing the progress made in scientific research and applications related to the country's space station over the past two years.
The report highlights 34 representative scientific research and application results selected from previously returned samples, research data, in-orbit experiments, and notable progress in scientific and application projects as well as various science promotion activities, showcasing China's capabilities and innovative spirit in the field of space technology.
Of the representative results, 13 are related to space life and human research, 12 are related to microgravity physical science research, and nine are related to new space technology and application research.
As of Dec 1, a total of 181 scientific and application projects had been carried out in orbit, with nearly two tons of scientific materials delivered and close to 100 types of experimental samples returned, generating over 300 terabytes of scientific data and obtaining more than 150 patents.
Notable achievements include the world's first rice and ratoon rice germplasm resources developed in space, and the first human embryonic stem cells differentiated into hematopoietic stem/precursor cells in space.
From 2020 to 2022, China carried out 12 flight missions to build a world-class space station.
The space station features independent innovation, overcoming more than 200 critical technology difficulties, with new technologies and products making up over 90 percent of the project and achieving full independent control of core components.
China's space endeavor has consistently set new records. In 2024, the Shenzhou 18 crew spent 192 days in orbit, breaking the record for the longest single flight time by Chinese astronauts.
Shenzhou 19 crew's extravehicular operations lasted nine hours, setting a world record for the duration of a single extravehicular activity in space.
As Shenzhou 19 crew has been on board China's space station for two months, a new round of material extravehicular exposure tests is set to begin. During the mission, the crew will conduct 86 experiments on space science and technology.
According to a national plan for space science missions and space research from 2024 to 2050 released in October, China aims to implement thousands of scientific and application projects across 32 research themes over the next decade.
"As a national space laboratory, China's space station is designed and equipped with a group of scientific research facilities that meet international advanced standards," said Gu Yidong, the chief expert of space science for China's manned space program.
China's space station operating stably, demonstrating significant efficacy: report
