What is shadow puppetry?
Shadow puppetry (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.pí yǐng xì) is a theatre art using silhouetted puppets for storytelling. Puppet shows often feature music (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.yīn yuè) and singing (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.chàng gē).
The puppets are made from leather or paper and can have as many as twenty four (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.èr shí sì) moving joints. They are used for entertainment at traditional Chinese weddings and other special occasions.
How do you make a Chinese shadow puppet show?
You will need:
- an A4 sheet of thin card (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.kǎ piàn)
- a pair of safety scissors (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.jiǎn dāo)
- coloured pens (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.shuǐ cǎi bǐ) or pencils (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.qiān bǐ)
- a cardboard box
- glue (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.jiāo shuǐ) or tape (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.jiāo dài)
- a sheet of white tissue paper or greaseproof paper
- several sticks - lollipop sticks will work well
- a torch (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.shǒu diàn tǒng)
Instructions:
Print out (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.dǎ yìn) the template onto an A4 sheet of thin card.
Carefully cut out the puppet figures along the dotted lines.
Colour in the puppets and attach each to a stick using tape or glue.
Carefully cut a large hole in the front of the box. Tape the white tissue paper or greaseproof paper behind the hole.
You can then decorate (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.zhuāng shì) your stage (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.wǔ tái).
Put the torch behind the paper and direct your own shadow puppet production.
If you don't have a printer, why not try drawing your own puppet figures?
Image caption, Step 1
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Click below to download the instructions and template
Key Mandarin words
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | chàng gē | singing |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | pí yǐng xì | shadow puppetry |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | shǒu diàn tǒng | torch |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | wǔ tái | stage |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | yīn yuè | music |
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