The Puppet shadow show is a type of drama in China. It is said that Emperor Wudi (156-87 B.C.) of the Western Han was depressed with the death of his favourite concubine Lady Li. The emperor missed her so much that he lost his desire to reign. One day, a minister happened to see children playing with dolls where the shadows on the floor were vivid. Inspired by this scene, the smart minister come out with an idea. He made a cotton puppet of the concubine and painted it. As night fell, he invited the emperor to watch a rear-illuminated puppet show behind a curtain. The emperor was delighted and took to it from then on. This has been thought to be the beginning of the shadow show.

Shadow puppets were originally made of paper sculpture, later from the hides of donkeys or oxen. That's why the Chinese name for shadow puppet is pi ying, which means shadows of hides. Shadow puppetry was very popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties in many parts of China. Shadow puppetry was related to politics. In Beijing, for example, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, this folk art was so popular that there were eight generously paid puppeteers in one prince's mansion. When the Manchu rulers spread their rule to various parts of China, they brought the puppet show with them to make up for the fact that they could not appreciate local entertainment due to language barriers. From 1796 to 1800, the government forbade the public showing of puppet shows to prevent the spreading of peasant uprising at the time. It was not until 1821 that shadow puppet shows gained some vigor.

The screen is where the puppet lives. It is the world that the puppet will move in and tell its story. There a many different types of shadow screens, but all juggle several important factors. Shadow screens must transmit as much light as possible, but at the same time, be opaque enough to hide the puppeteers. It also needs to be tight enough so that the puppets can be pushed against it lightly without it sagging and thin enough to give sharp edges to the shadows. Or course it also has to be durable to withstand the terrors of touring.

Traditionally, the screen has been a piece of white cotton bordered by grommets stretched tight on a frame. This makes a tough, adjustable screen, but often looks grainy because of the weave. Silk would be nicer, if you can afford it. Another high priced, but excellent alternative, is rear projection screen material. It transmits beautiful shadows, though when the light is off, it tends to look gray and dirty.

Today's shadow puppets are made of leather instead of wood for the simple reason that leather is much lighter, easier to manipulate and carry round. The process for making the puppets is as follows: Sheep or donkey skin with hair removed is cleaned and treated chemically to become thin enough to be translucent. Coated with tung oil and dried, it is carved into various parts of dramatic figures. The trunk, head and limbs of a puppet are separately carved but joined together by thread so that each part may. be manipulated by the operator to simulate human movements. The leather puppets are painted with various colours to show their different qualities-- kind or wicked, beautiful or ugly. During the performance, the "actors" are held close to a white curtain with their coloured shadows cast on it by a strong light from behind. Moved by guiding sticks, they play the roles, accompanied by music, with their parts or singing done by the operators. The plays can be quite dramatic and, when it comes to fairy tales or kungfu stories, the "actors" may be made to ride on clouds or perform unusual feats, to the great enjoyment of the audience, especially children.