Shadow Puppet Art Exhibition at the China Art Museum

🌟Highlights: Shadow puppetry is created by workers based on their direct needs and aesthetic abilities. It is popular in vast areas of China. Shadow puppetry has a long history and exquisite skills. It has a great influence at home and abroad. Shadow puppetry, also known as shadow play, is a comprehensive folk art that integrates painting, sculpture, literature, music, dance, and performance. ❤Reasons for recommendation: The earliest record of shadow puppetry dates back to the Western Han Dynasty, when shadow figures appeared during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, monks used shadow figures to preach Buddhist affairs. Strictly speaking, these can only be regarded as the initial form of shadow puppetry. The real shadow puppetry was formed, developed and prospered in the Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, it was carved with plain paper. Later, in order to increase the fastness, sheepskin, donkey skin or cowhide was gradually used for carving. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, shadow puppetry became a popular art form among the masses in vast rural areas of China. The Qianjia period of the Qing Dynasty was the heyday of shadow puppetry, which spread to almost most of China. In the vast rural areas and mountainous areas, shadow puppetry plays a role in entertainment and education, and has a great influence. In the suburbs of Shanghai, there is a tradition of performing shadow puppetry. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Chinese shadow puppetry has been gradually spread to South Asian islands, Persia, Egypt, Türkiye, France, Germany and other countries. ✅Must-experience: To this day, some museums in the world still treasure Chinese shadow puppets. This exhibition displays the collected Qin and Jin shadow puppets, northern shadow puppets, and shadow puppets from Henan, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei and other regions. They have strong local colors and strong artistic features. With its rich history, opera, fine arts, folk literature, folk customs, and religious connotations, shadow puppetry demonstrates the talent of the working people in artistic creation, for people today to study and appreciate carefully. The achievement of shadow puppetry in the history of Chinese national art will shine on the present and future of national art. 📍Detailed address: 205 Shangnan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 🚉Transportation guide: China Art Museum Station, Metro Line 8 🕙Business hours: 10:00 to 18:00 📝Note tips: Free visit