Featured Events in Tai'an in July 2024 (June Updated)

Taishan shadow puppetry is an ancient traditional folk art. Taishan shadow puppetry is also known as shadow play or picking shadows. Because its figures and props are made of donkey skin, it is also commonly known as donkey skin shadow puppetry. Listening to its singing and watching its shapes, you can see the profound and simple culture of Taishan. Taishan shadow puppetry has a long history. As early as the Ming Dynasty, there was a record of Taishan shadow puppetry in the ancient book "Tao Taowu Xianping", which has a history of 600 years. In recent years, Taishan shadow puppetry has been constantly innovating and developing in sync with the times. The performances are rich and fascinating. There are traditional classic boutique plays "Frog, Crane and Turtle", Taishan cultural classic play "Taishan Stone Guardian vs. Wolf Spirit", old play new hilarious play "New Story of Wu Song Fighting the Tiger", children's voice and philosophical play "The Lost Corner" and "Monkey Picking Peaches", trendy and fashionable play "Gangnam Style" and "Little Apple", etc. The plot is ups and downs, the performance is humorous, and it is entertaining. The actors of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Theater give shadow puppetry more elements that combine fashion and culture, attracting more and more young people with a new image, while always retaining the feelings and taste of old Tai'an.

【Performance Introduction】 The performance is divided into five chapters, with the 5,000-year history of Mount Tai as the context. Through the divine role of "Little Stone", the Qin, Tang, Song and other dynasties are connected, presenting magnificent chapters such as the emperor's enthronement, the integration of civilizations, and the poet's chanting. The whole play spans time and space, integrating multimedia technology, real-life mountain roads, LED light and shadow, and folk performances, bringing together hundreds of actors and thousands of costumes to reproduce the brilliant course of Chinese civilization. Within 70 minutes, the audience can immersively experience the spiritual core of "When Mount Tai is safe, the world is safe", showing the Chinese nation's eternal belief in the world, the country, and the people. 【Attractions】 Feature 1: Epic narrative, time travel - the world's first 5,000-year-old epic with Mount Tai as the real stage, giving you a glimpse of the prosperity of Chinese history in one night. Feature 2: Technology empowerment, immersive experience - using multimedia technologies such as LED steps, 3D sand painting, combined with flame waterfall effects, to create a shocking audio-visual experience. Feature 3: Revitalization of intangible cultural heritage and folk customs - incorporating intangible cultural heritage and folk customs such as the mountain-carrying songs and Shandong Bangzi to showcase the humanistic spirit and local flavor of Qilu. Feature 4: Interactive prayer, cultural resonance - audiences participate in temple fair parades and Fengshan rituals, and immerse themselves in the protection of Mount Tai culture and the feelings of family and country. 【Plot Introduction】 Introduction: Dawenkou Site The contemporary teenager Xiao Shitou, guided by the old lady of Mount Tai, travels through 5,000 years in pursuit of the broken pottery urn; the wall of the Dawenkou ruins transforms into a scene of ancestors offering sacrifices to the heaven, and the porters' songs open the prelude to civilization... The first scene: Light of Dawen The ancestors of Dawenkou offered sacrifices to the heavens and prayed for blessings with a pottery urn with sun-volcano patterns. During the tribal dance, the pottery urn was accidentally broken. Little Stone had a conversation with an old lady across time and space, and began his reincarnation mission of finding the pottery urn. Scene 2: Emperor Qin's Fengshan After Qin Shihuang conquered the six kingdoms, he ascended Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. A small stone was reincarnated as a Qin general to witness the casting of the golden man. Amid the bloody river, ice waves and lava effects, the emperor's ambition and the philosophy of "peace in Mount Tai" collided violently. Scene 3: Sun and Moon Shine Together The Persian youth Xiao Shitou accompanied Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu Zetian to the Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony, and the moon set on the stage, breaking the shackles of etiquette; the Shandong Bangzi sang "The Sun and the Moon Shine Together", showing the fusion of a female emperor and exotic civilizations. Scene 4: The Poet Looking at the Mountains Du Fu climbed Mount Tai and wrote "Viewing the Mountain" after failing the imperial examination. The backs of the porters and their thatched cottages reflected their worries for their country and their families; the modern Olympic torch climbed to the top of the mountain, and the temple fair parade of all people brought together the prayers of ancient and modern times into a harmonious resonance of "If Mount Tai is safe, the world will be safe." Epilogue: Prayers for the people To the sound of the joyful theme song, the audience, along with hundreds of cast and crew members, put their hands together and prayed devoutly. The sacred flame and the torch of inheritance shone brightly, blending the past and the present, completing the eternal sublimation from a ritual vessel for offering sacrifices to heaven to a totem of the national spirit.