Shadow Puppetry of a Different Kind不一樣的皮影戲

With its distinctive features， shadow puppetry， an ancient form of storytelling that originated in China more than 2，000 years ago， still enjoys popularity today.

Just like many species on earth that are in danger of extinction， traditional arts also face the risk of disappearing. “Many young people still hold the impression that shadow puppetry is some kind of old-fashioned folk art，” said Liu Chaokan， the sixth-generation inheritor of shadow puppetry in Liujiazhai， Tengchong， Yunnan.

Before deciding to carry the torch of Liujiazhai shadow puppetry his family had operated for more than two centuries， Liu was practicing shooting as a student-athlete in college. Some of his college friends also doubted the future of the family business. They couldn’t understand why he would choose to work on an “old and unattractive” art.

Liu understands why some old art forms couldn’t appeal to the young， which is why he has decided to combine brand-new stories with the traditional form of storytelling.

皮影戲是一種古老的故事表演藝術，起源于2 000多年前的中國，憑借獨特魅力至今仍深受歡迎。

正如地球上許多有滅絕危險的物種一樣，傳統藝術同樣面臨消失的危險。“在許多年輕人的印象中，皮影戲是一種過時的民間藝術。”云南騰沖劉家寨皮影戲第六代傳人劉朝侃如是說。

劉朝侃的家族經營劉家寨皮影戲已有兩百多年，在決定繼承家業前，劉朝侃是一名大學生運動員，練的是射擊項目。他的一些大學好友也對其家族事業的未來表示擔憂，他們無法理解他為什么會選擇從事這種“既古老又毫無吸引力的”藝術。

劉朝侃深知一些古老的藝術形式無法吸引年輕人關注的癥結所在，因此他決定用這種傳統的故事表演藝術來演繹全新的故事。

In a show adapted by his team based on the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West， Baigujing dances to the Korean pop hit “Gangnam Style”. Popular Chinese cartoon characters， together with their foreign counterparts， are Liu’s secret in attracting the attention of children. “Since they couldn’t understand those old stories， why don’t we show them the cartoon characters they love in shadow puppetry shows？” said Liu.

Short video sharing platforms have also been Liu’s new tool to spread shadow puppetry. A short clip of the show can easily get thousands of likes on the platform， and many of his followers have come all the way to his theater to enjoy a piece of authentic shadow puppetry live performance.

To keep the old art forever young， Liu believes puppeteers should also respect its traditions. “You can’t shake the roots of the art，” Liu said. “Preserving its tradition and seeking innovation are equally important.”

他的團隊根據中國古典小說《西游記》改編出了一場表演，演出中，白骨精伴隨著韓國流行歌曲《江南Style》跳起了勁舞。將中國動畫片中受歡迎的角色與國外對應的動畫片角色結合在一起，是劉朝侃吸引孩子們注意的秘訣。“既然他們不理解那些古老的故事，我們為何不在皮影戲中為他們展示他們喜歡的動畫片角色呢？”他說道。

短視頻分享平臺也成了劉朝侃用來傳播皮影戲文化的新工具。一段皮影戲表演短視頻很輕易便能在平臺上收獲成千上萬個贊，許多粉絲還會特地趕到他的劇院，現場觀賞一場地地道道的皮影戲表演。

為了使這種古老的藝術永葆生機，劉朝侃認為皮影戲表演者也應該尊重傳統。“絕不能動搖這種藝術的根基。”他說道，“保留傳統和尋求創新同樣重要。”

Word Bank

distinctive /d?'st??kt?v/ adj. 特別的；獨特的

The male bird has distinctive white markings on its head.

originate /?'r?d??ne?t/ v. 起源；發端于

preserve /pr?'z??v/ v. 保護；保存

The society was set up to preserve endangered species from extinction.

innovation /'?n?'ve??n/ n. 創新；改革