The heritage hidden in shadows

Young inheritor of Shaanxi puppetry has plans to revitalize the ancient cultural tradition, and many others with it, Li Yingxue reports.

Have you ever experienced one of the earliest precursors of movies? It boasts star-studded ensembles, undergoes rapid transformations in the blink of an eye, and even includes special effects, music and performances, all without the aid of machines or computers.

Solely relying on hands, the ancient Chinese art of shadow play is a tradition with a history that dates back 2,000 years, and it's also a representative of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognized by UNESCO.

Last month, two prominent online personalities, each with more than 10 million followers, Nanxiang Buaichifan and Jiuyue, shared videos documenting their journey to learn how to perform shadow puppetry that have garnered over 20 million views on social media platforms, such as Bilibili and Douyin.