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(shù)，起源于2 000多年前的中國，憑借獨(dú)特魅力至今仍深受歡迎。

正如地球上許多有滅絕危險(xiǎn)的物種一樣，傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)同樣面臨消失的危險(xiǎn)?！霸谠S多年輕人的印象中，皮影戲是一種過時(shí)的民間藝術(shù)?！痹颇向v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(jīng)營劉家寨皮影戲已有兩百多年，在決定繼承家業(yè)前，劉朝侃是一名大學(xué)生運(yùn)動(dòng)員，練的是射擊項(xiàng)目。他的一些大學(xué)好友也對(duì)其家族事業(yè)的未來表示擔(dān)憂，他們無法理解他為什么會(huì)選擇從事這種“既古老又毫無吸引力的”藝術(shù)。

劉朝侃深知一些古老的藝術(shù)形式無法吸引年輕人關(guān)注的癥結(jié)所在，因此他決定用這種傳統(tǒng)的故事表演藝術(shù)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(tuán)隊(duì)根據(jù)中國古典小說《西游記》改編出了一場(chǎng)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(dòng)畫片中受歡迎的角色與國外對(duì)應(yīng)的動(dòng)畫片角色結(jié)合在一起，是劉朝侃吸引孩子們注意的秘訣?！凹热凰麄儾焕斫饽切┕爬系墓适?，我們?yōu)楹尾辉谄び皯蛑袨樗麄冋故舅麄兿矚g的動(dòng)畫片角色呢？”他說道。

短視頻分享平臺(tái)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(tái)上收獲成千上萬個(gè)贊，許多粉絲還會(huì)特地趕到他的劇院，現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀賞一場(chǎng)地地道道的皮影戲表演。

為了使這種古老的藝術(shù)永葆生機(jī)，劉朝侃認(rèn)為皮影戲表演者也應(yīng)該尊重傳統(tǒng)?！敖^不能動(dòng)搖這種藝術(shù)的根基?！彼f道，“保留傳統(tǒng)和尋求創(chuàng)新同樣重要。”

Word Bank

distinctive /d?'st??kt?v/ adj. 特別的；獨(dú)特的

The male bird has distinctive white markings on its head.

originate /?'r?d??ne?t/ v. 起源；發(fā)端于

preserve /pr?'z??v/ v. 保護(hù)；保存

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

innovation /'?n?'ve??n/ n. 創(chuàng)新；改革