Recently, the exhibition “The Magic of Shadows: Discovering the Wonders of Chinese Shadow Play” is being held at the Liaoning Provincial Museum. It brings together the five renowned shadow play projects from Liaoning that have been listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), namely the Fuzhou shadow play, Gaizhou shadow play, Lingyuan shadow play, Xiuyan shadow play, and Jinzhou shadow play. The exhibition will run until August 20.

Liaoning’s shadow play serves as an important branch of Chinese shadow play art. From 2006 to 2023, five shadow play projects in Liaoning have been officially inscribed on the list of National ICH, and ten shadow play projects have entered the list of Provincial ICH. “Performances with Enduring Vivacity”, an essential unit of the exhibition, mainly features the traditional and newly created innovative plays of Fuzhou shadow play, Gaizhou shadow play, Lingyuan shadow play, Xiuyan shadow play, and Jinzhou shadow play, which are listed as five representatives of ICH at the national level.

The museum also houses precious handcrafted leather shadow puppets and carving tools from the national-level and provincial-level representative inheritors in Liaoning, as well as gongs, drums, cymbals, and other musical instruments used for performances from the collection of Lingyuan Cultural Center. Additionally, there are shadow puppets and shadow boxes (an indispensable stage setting) from folk shadow play troupes collected by the Liaoning Cultural Heritage Protection Center. These items, together with the thrilling performances of ICH inheritors, form a colorful and exciting exhibition of shadow play, presenting a series of wonderful shows to the audience.

The current exhibition highlights aesthetically pleasing forms and eye-catching colors of shadow puppet carvings, and exquisite skills and compelling plots in shadow puppet performances. The museum will provide an authentic shadow play, transforming the space into an interactive arena where people can watch, join in, listen to the show, and explore some other pleasures. Once more for emphasis, the museum sincerely invites the audience to step into the world of shadow play, to experience the infinite charm of ICH and the vitality of excellent traditional Chinese culture.