The explosion of the game "Black Myth · Goku" has re-set off a "westward journey fever", when the traditional intangible cultural heritage shadow puppet play and the protagonists of the westward journey meet, what kind of sparks will collide? On October 6th, the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance· a Good Show" hands-on experience activity of the series of activities launched by Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology was held in the lecture hall on the second floor of the Archaeological Museum of Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
It is reported that shadow puppetry, also known as "lantern shadow play", "lantern shadow" and "leather monkey play", is a comprehensive art integrating carving, paper-cutting, painting, modeling, oral literature, music singing, and performance. As one of the earliest types of opera in mainland China, shadow puppetry has a history of more than 2,200 years and is known as the "living fossil" of Chinese folk art. Shadow puppeteers manipulate colourful figures made of leather or paper, using light to create moving images on translucent curtains, telling stories of the past and present. However, in order to create this kind of vivid shadow puppet figure, it needs to go through many processes such as leather making, drawing, carving, dyeing, ironing and so on.
On the sixth day of the National Day, the Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology prepared a complete set of "simplified" materials, so that citizens and friends can quickly experience the production process of a shadow puppet character and feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage while sitting in the event venue. "The shadow puppet character I chose today is 'Monkey King', I have liked the powerful 'Monkey Brother' since I was a child, but I didn't expect to be able to make him in the form of shadow puppets today, it feels very different." At the event site, there are not only classic Journey to the West images such as Tang Seng, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and White Dragon Horse, but also some opera characters.
Fang Zhaoning, a college student who came to the archaeological museum for the first time to participate in the event, said: "This trip to the museum not only allowed me to know many predecessors in the archaeological field and the brilliant history of the Shang Dynasty, but also participated in the production of a shadow puppet show, which was really rewarding." In less than half an hour, a child at the scene completed his "Monkey Brother" production, happily lifted the shadow puppet, and manipulated the two "shadow puppet sticks" to slide up and down, and the shadow puppet character also followed his command to become vivid...... Citizens and friends can come to the lecture hall on the second floor of the Archaeological Museum of Zhengzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 14:30 to 16:30 a.m.
(Reporter Li Juzheng)