Shadow puppetry has been performed in China for over two millennia. However, with the rise of new forms of entertainment, some feel that the art form today is just a shadow of its former self. Lu Baogang, a fifth-generation descendant of the Lu family of shadow puppeteers and the current leader of the Beijing Shadow Art Play Troupe disagrees.

Lu, who will be performing and hosting workshops at various community centres, schools and festivals throughout Metro Vancouver over the next two weeks to help usher in the Year of the Ram in Canada, sees shadow puppetry as an invaluable cultural art form that will tackle the competition head-on with dignity and grace.

“Shadow play has existed in China for over 2000 years, and the fact that it has existed for so long is a testament to its endurance and importance,” says Lu.

Lu Baogang and his troupe demonstrate the graceful movement of a crane puppet. | Photo by Simon Yee

Traditional shadow puppet figures consist of dyed transparent animal skins such as cowhide or pigskin which creates a translucent material allowing the artist to present silhouettes with expressions to provide shadow play characters. Dialogue and musical instruments are added to transform a puppet play into a grand operatic experience.

China’s greatest epics and folktales have been told with this art form, such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Dream of the Red Chamber. Lu and his troupe will be performing Journey to the West, which features the adventures of the Monkey King.

According to legend, shadow puppetry has been performed in China since at least the Han Dynasty, when a shadow puppet play was performed before Emperor Wu to cheer him up following the death of one of his concubines. It reached its high point during the Song Dynasty, when it was the most popular medium in the country, performed in many venues both publicly and privately.

A losing battle?

However, during the last hundred years, political strife in China, the Westernization of Chinese culture and the growing popularity of new forms of media entertainment has led some researchers to lament the demise of the art form.

“This ancient art form has steadily been losing the battle with cultural changes, urbanization and modern forms of entertainment in China’s swiftly modernizing republic,” writes Annie Katsura Rollins, a Chinese shadow puppetry researcher on her website. “Audiences and apprentices are evaporating at an alarming rate.”

Lu acknowledges these harsh realities for the craft, but he thinks that shadow puppetry has the strength and fortitude to adapt and reassert itself for another 2000 years.

“I can’t deny the fact that with the growth of new forms of entertainment, traditional and new media are fighting for the same audience,” says Lu. “But that’s a good thing because competition with new media is how shadow play will evolve. Only under stress and pressure will you be able to push yourself forward and develop to new realms. So it is with the art of shadow play.”

Changing the script

Lu, master of shadow puppetry. | Photo by Simon Yee

Lu and his troupe have incorporated some modern techniques to the traditional form and content, adding new lighting, musical techniques and special effects as well as performing both classical and contemporary tales. In addition, the troupe has performed shadow puppet plays and hosted workshops in many countries, extending the reach of Chinese culture throughout the world.

If there is one piece of advice Lu would like to offer to future shadow puppeteers, it’s to understand the cultural history of the craft in order to inherit it and make it your own.

“Don’t be afraid to be creative, to modify the techniques, to adapt the tradition to meet the demands and trends of the contemporary era,” Lu says.

Please visit facebook.com/BeijingShadowPlay for performance times and locations.