Performed by three to five puppeteers, shadow play is a form of storytelling that uses puppets against an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of movement.
During a shadow play, puppeteers hide themselves behind a white curtain and move stick-mounted puppets, while also narrating the story through folk song. Performances are generally accompanied by musicians playing drums and stringed instruments.Similar to Peking Opera, characters are clearly defined, with set roles for sheng (male), dan (female), jing (painted face) and chou (clown).
