Shadow plays in north China’s Shanxi province are similar to those in Shaanxi in terms of its artistic feature and crafting skill. People draw lines to decorate the tiny parts since they are difficult for knives to pierce. The colors used are mostly bright red, green and apricot that are produced by artisans themselves. These [...]

puppet, shadow play

The shadow plays in northwest China’s Shaanxi province keep the form of story telling. It is the predecessor of the many existing local operas.
Simple figures and exquisite handicraft are its two features. People draw lines to depict the general figure. Most part of the figures is pierced, with the non-pierced part serving as complementary to [...]

puppet, shadow play

Shadow plays are a folk art originated in rural areas of northwest China’s Gansu, Shannxi and Ningxia provinces. Such art was popular between 14th and 19th Century, which is the Ming and Qing Dynasty in China. Figures used in the play look pretty and charming and carving technique requires high skill.
The material used for shadow [...]

puppet, shadow play

In China calligraphy occupies a distinguished position in the field of traditional art. It is not only a means of communication, but also a means of expressing a person’s inner world in an aesthetic sense.
Ancient people paid great attention to calligraphy. To practise calligraphy requires the basic tools of ‘four treasures of study’ (writing brush, [...]

ancient, calligraphy

Chinese painting developed and was classified by theme into three genres: figures, landscapes, and birds-and-flowers.
The birds-and-flowers genre has its roots in the decorative patterns engraved on pottery and bronze ware by early artists. Among the common subjects in this genre, which reached its peak during the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), are flowers, bamboo, birds, [...]

chinese painting, landscapes