Shandong master helps pass on shadow puppet skills

Master Feng Kexian is a seventh generation inheritor of Dingtao puppet shows, who is diligently passing on his skills on how to put them on to future generations.

As a shadow puppets show artist for over 50 years, he and his two daughters began to learn the carving skills for Dingtao shadow puppets in 2021 in the Dingtao district of Heze city, located in East China's Shandong province.

Feng Kexian and his daughter work deftly on making stage props for shadow puppet shows. [Photo by Ma Jin provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Father and daughter inspect their work. [Photo by Ma Jin provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

To date, together they've completed more than 200 suits for shadow puppets. It's seen as being essential to the inheritance of the traditional craft, as many stage props for Dingtao puppet shows are now broken due to the passage of time.

Shadow puppet shows are one of the very special Chinese folk arts that boast a long history and exquisite craftsmanship. The Dingtao shadow puppets have more than two centuries of recorded history.

The shadow puppets are manipulated by people behind a curtain on which light is cast to produce vivid images. The shadow play is usually staged accompanied by a gong and drum and singing.

The Dingtao shadow puppet shows are similar to the local opera, which combine the local opera of southeast of Shandong province and the art of talking-singing to make each performance unique, melodious and humorous.

Feng Kexian teaches a young student what goes on at shadow puppets show. [Photo by Ma Jin provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Nowadays, kids rarely know about this traditional art, so we shadow puppet artists frequently go to schools and teach them about shadow puppets, how to make the costumes and stage props as well as traditional culture," Feng said.

"These days our country is paying great attention to the inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage. Every year, we stage nearly 200 performances at nearby villages," he added. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)