Chinese Shadow Show

Chinese Shadow Show	Chinese Shadow Show

The shadow show or leather silhouette play is a type of drama which has its roots in China.
Legend has it that Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Was depressed with the death of his favorite concubine Lad Li. To help him get over the sadness, an occultist sculptured a wooden figure in the likeness of the lady and projected its shadow on a curtain for the emperor to see, bringing him consolation with the belief that the shadow was her spirit. This has been thought to be the beginning of the shadow show. The show became quite popular as early as the Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays.
The show began to spread to Europe in the mid-18th century, when French missionaries to China took it back to France in 1767 and put on performances in Paris and Marseilles, causing quite a stir. In time, the ombres chinoises, with local modification and embellishment, became the ombres franciaises and struck root in the country.
Some people may have gone too far in alleging that the Chinese shadow show heralded the cinematic industry, but it certainly has contributed its bit towards enriching the world’s amusement business.