Ancient Art to Make Shadow Come to Life

Chinese Pi Ying Xi, or leather-silhouette show, is believed to be invented over sixteen hundred years ago in the Han Dynasty. This ancient folk art uses puppets made of donkey or ox leather to create shadows on a piece of white cloth, with performers behind the scene controlling the action. Accompanied by songs and background music, these simple shadow puppets have entertained people for generations.

This Shadow Puppet Workshop in the Chaoyang district sells an amazing variety of donkey or ox leather shadow puppets: opera figures, legend animals, and beautiful sceneries, to name a few. The puppets here are renowned for its fine cutting and exquisite making. You can even get them as great souvenirs, even if you’re not thinking about putting on a production yourself. All items come from their own workshop.

A middle-sized opera figure is normally priced at RMB 120, while a set of figures depicting various scenes of loving story sells several thousand RMBs. The owner himself is a leather-silhouette show expert, and speaks a little English. Fans of Chinese Pi Ying Xi, feel free to ask any question about this amazing folk arts.

What I appreciate

Amazing selection of shadow puppets

What customers appreciate

Beautiful shadow puppets and reasonable prices