Shadow Puppetry (Huaxian Shadow Play)

Huaxian shadow play is the standard-bearer of the eastern-route shadow theater of Guanzhong; the Weinan area where it lives has a long shadow-puppet history, considered one of the earliest forms of Chinese theater and said to span more than a thousand years.

It is sung in the delicate, winding wanwanqiang style, with puppets carved from oxhide through some two dozen steps of scraping, grinding, cutting, dyeing, and ironing; behind the screen one performer manipulates the figures and sings many roles at once, said to command a million troops with two hands.

Uniting folk music, carving, and sung narrative, Huaxian shadow play represents a high point of shadow art in China and the world. It entered the first national intangible-heritage list in 2006 as a major component of shadow puppetry.

Current around Huazhou in Weinan, its puppet carving and performances appear often in Shaanxi's heritage showcases and museums, and it ranks among the representative folk arts of Guanzhong.