![]() ![]() When and where shadow puppetry was first introduced is a question on which specialists disagree, particularly in regard to and where shadow theatre has cultural and religious traits. Introduced into Europe in the 17th century, the form was renovated and rethought in the 20th century. The former originated in Asia (in China, India and Indonesia, spreading into Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa) and continues to the present, although diminishing. Their patterned bodies are entirely unique.įull body example of late Ming/early Qing.īody pattern close up of late Ming/early Qing puppet.Here we distinguish between traditional shadow puppetry and contemporary forms. My favorite collection on display placed in late Ming/early Qing Dynasty. Tangshan style puppets (NE region), old man. ![]() The collection has a few commonly found shadow puppet scenic elements in comparison on their own large light box.Ĭhair 3. Heigh 14″)Ī comparison of chairs: 4 selected photos. ![]() Shaanxi style heads on the left facing NE style heads on the right. Heigh 2’4″)Ĭhengdu Style Old Man (Full Approx. Heigh is 2′ 4″)Ĭhengdu Style Middle Aged Characters (Full Approx. Photo Note: All photos and puppets photographed are from the China Shadow Puppet Museum of Chengdu 成都中国皮影博物馆Ĭhengdu Style Woman Warrior (Approx. (Pardon the shorthand notes, I have not had a chance to transcribe my audio recording – hopefully you get the gist and the breadth of this small sampling of their small sampling of their full collection)Īnd if you are in Chengdu after Summer 2012 – stop by and see for yourself I shall stop talking here and just let the puppets speak for themselves. Human puppets, monsters, creatures, scenic elements, borders – from every region where puppetry was active within the last 200 years. Many things I had seen in pictures before, but many were completely new to me. I floated through seven full rooms of light box after light box. Even with the temporary displays, the pieces stood for themselves – organized by region or grouped with similar items for comparison. What lays beyond is an absolute gold mine of Chinese shadow puppetry. We paused to wait for a security guard and a few other official looking people to come unlock the door and sign us in.Īfter a quick scuffle of pens and keys, we were ushered into the adjoining hallway. We trudged up a few flights of stairs, passed their temporary offices, and kept trudging upwards to a locked door with no sign. Thanks to Professor Jiang and his former student ChenWenJing, who now works at the museum, I was allowed to see their temporary displays set up in a make-shift office space on the west side of town.ĬhenWenJing met my translator Cecilia and I at the bottom of a non-descript tiled office building on a smolderingly hot spring day. However, during my visit they were still closed to the public. Subsequently, they shut down their old museum and are building a bigger and better space near the center of the city. To be clear, only one museum in China can receive this honor. The Chengdu Shadow Puppet Museum (a branch of the main Chengdu Museum) was recently named China’s Shadow Puppet Museum. ![]()
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