Daoqing puppetry steps out of shadows

LANZHOU — As darkness descends upon Chenqiyuan village in northwest China, the spotlight shines on 83-year-old Jing Tingyou as his nightly spectacle commences.

The skilled shadow puppet master takes center stage behind a white curtain, skillfully moving his puppets in sync with enchanting melodies as he brings historical tales and folklore to life through virtuoso performances.

Having dedicated over six decades to the art of shadow puppetry, Jing is an expert in his field. He sets up his stage in a cave house, a troglodyte dwelling, in Gansu province's Huanxian county.

On the left side of the puppet master sits his younger brother, 73-year-old Jing Tingxiao, who accompanies him on a four-stringed instrument.

They come from Huanxian, the birthplace of Daoqing shadow play, an important form of Chinese shadow puppetry.

Shadow plays integrate performance, singing, art, sculpture and music. The Daoqing form was included on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

Currently, Huanxian is home to around 40 shadow puppet troupes, 300 performers and 60 sculptors, according to Wu Cunjun, a member of the county's intangible cultural heritage protection center.

The Jing family troupe, to which the brothers belonged, was established in 1903 and is one of the most prestigious shadow puppet troupes in Huanxian.

The Jing brothers have watched the ebb and flow of the traditional art form.

"I learned about 100 shadow plays from a demanding teacher, who required us to be proficient in skills from performing to singing," said Jing Tingxiao, who is now head of the troupe.

During its heyday in the 1960s, Daoqing shadow puppetry attracted many enthusiasts. Performers often carried the props they used by donkey, wandering the streets to stage performances day in and day out.

"When I was young, I used to perform for more than seven hours a day," the elder Jing said. "The sight of so many fans revitalized me, erasing any trace of tiredness."

The two masters have dedicated most of their lives to the art. Jing Tingxiao has performed on stages in Germany and the Netherlands, introducing the captivating traditional art to audiences abroad.

For years, shadow plays were popular with audiences of all ages in rural China and were staged on every major occasion. However, with films and television series gradually becoming the dominant source of entertainment in the late 1980s, its popularity waned and many performers moved on to other jobs.

But the Jing brothers kept going.

"It takes at least 10 years for a novice to become an accomplished performer," Jing Tingxiao said. "The art demands a significant investment of time, but offers relatively modest financial compensation in exchange."

Like many other custodians of cultural heritage, he has encountered the challenge of finding suitable individuals to whom he can pass down the tradition.

There has been a recent turnaround since Huanxian launched a string of projects to boost the art form, such as adapting and writing new shadow plays.

Jing Tingxiao has been delighted to see the inclusion of Daoqing shadow puppet plays in schools in Gansu's Qingyang city. This development should not only ensure the preservation of the art, but also provides performers with additional financial support.

At the College of Art at Longdong University in Gansu province, Daoqing shadow puppetry has become a main course. Jing Dengkun, a 57-year-old performer from the Jing family troupe, is a part-time teacher at the university and teaches eight classes a week.

"As a result of learning and practicing, many young people have taken a liking to Daoqing puppetry," he said. "This ancient intangible cultural heritage is finding new vitality."

Xinhua