Huan County, the hometown of Chinese shadow puppetry

Huan County shadow puppetry, a specialty of Huan County in Gansu Province, is a product with a Chinese national geographical indication. Huan County shadow puppetry is rich and splendid in melody, ancient and long-standing, with melodious and passionate singing, finely carved shapes, traditional and flexible props, and superb acting skills. It is a typical art form of agricultural culture, a folk transmission method of Taoist culture, and the most complete form of original ecological art preserved in the Loess Plateau and even the Yellow River Basin. It is not only a symbol of Huan County culture but also a precious intangible cultural heritage. Shadow puppetry, commonly known as lantern shadow play, is one of the oldest forms of drama in China. It originated more than 2000 years ago in ancient Chang'an, China, and flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties. It is still widely popular among the Chinese people today and is considered a unique gem of Chinese folk art. Shadow puppets are made from top-quality cowhide, hand-carved through twenty-four processes including scraping, grinding, washing, carving, and coloring, with over 3000 cuts.