Charm of Changsha Shadow Puppetry

Wan Tiejun performs Changsha Shadow Puppetry at Jinhe village in Batang town, Ningxiang. [Photo by Huang Qiqing/icswb.com]

Excited children and villagers sit around a one-meter-long curtain as the stage of shadow plays, with an ensemble of gongs, drums, a Beijing opera fiddle, a suona horn and vocals in the accent of Ningxiang city come together in the small area.

This is a common scene at Jinhe village in Batang town, Ningxiang, a county-level city under the administration of Changsha city.

To many people, shadow puppetry is a hoary memory that dates back to childhood. But to Wan Tiejun and his theatrical troupe members, it is their career and spiritual ballast.

Books concerning performing and making shadow puppetry are on the workbench of Wan Tiejun. [Photo by Huang Qiqing/icswb.com]

Wan, 56, started to learn performing and making shadow puppetry when he was about 10 years old. He has collected many scripts and facial mask patterns over the years to develop old shows and create new ones.

Wan Tiejun draws a new puppet figure. [Photo by Huang Qiqing/icswb.com]