Editing Shadow play (section)

====Chinese mainland====
There are several myths and legends about the origins of shadow puppetry in China. The most famous one has it that Chinese shadow puppetry originated when the favorite [[concubine]] of [[Emperor Wu of Han]] (156 BCE – 87 BCE) died and magician Shao-weng promised to raise her spirit. The emperor could see a shadow that looked like her move behind the curtains that the magician had placed around some lit torches. It is often told that the magician used a shadow puppet, but the original text in ''[[Book of Han]]'' gives no reason to believe in a relation to shadow puppetry.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aZu9Cje8TfkC&q=shadow%20theatre%20history&pg=PA22|title=Chinese Shadow Theatre: History, Popular Religion, and Women Warriors|author=Fan Pen Li Chen|year=2007|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP |isbn=9780773531970}}</ref> Although there are many earlier records of all kinds of puppetry in China, clear mention of Chinese shadow play does not occur until the [[Northern Song]] dynasty (960–1127). A 1235 book mentions that the puppets were initially cut out of paper, but later made of colored leather or parchment. The stories were mostly based on history and half fact half fiction, but comedies were also performed.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dolby |first1=William |title=The Origins of Chinese Puppetry |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London |date=1978 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=97–120 |jstor=615625|doi=10.1017/S0041977X00057803 |s2cid=194042455 }}</ref>

Shadow play in China is called ''piyingxi.'' There are two distinct styles of shadow play:  Luanzhou (North China) and Sichuan (South China). Within Sichuan, there are two styles: Chuanbei piyingxi (Northern Sichuan) and Chengdu piyingxi. Cities that are included in the Northern Sichuan are Bazhong, Nanchong, and Guangyuan.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rui |first=Tang |date=2018 |title=The Heritage of Wang Piying Troupe: Shadow Puppetry in North Sichuan |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/atj.2018.0012 |journal=Asian Theatre Journal |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=53–69 |doi=10.1353/atj.2018.0012 |s2cid=165900356 |issn=1527-2109|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the [[Song dynasty]], when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the [[Ming dynasty]] there were 40 to 50 shadow show [[wiktionary:troupe|troupe]]s in the city of [[Beijing]] alone.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of [[Rice paper|mulberry paper]]. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of [[Buddhist]] sources.<ref name="Ewart">Ewart, Franzeska G. [1998] (1998). Let the Shadows speak: developing children's language through shadow puppetry. {{ISBN|1-85856-099-3}}</ref> Today, puppets made of [[leather]] and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In regions such as Shaanxi, Shandong, Gansu, and Sichuan, young apprentices learn to carve shadow puppets from ox hide using traditional tools like half-moon knives and fine awls, preserving both craftsmanship and performance through hands-on practice.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yingjie |first=Zhu |date=2023-02-01 |title=Chinese shadow play art: ways of inheritance |url=https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=50250946 |journal=OOO "Zhurnal "Voprosy Istorii" |volume=2023 |issue=2-1 |pages=220–229 |doi=10.31166/VoprosyIstorii202302Statyi28|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In [[Gansu]] province, it is accompanied by [[Music of Gansu|Daoqing]] music, while in [[Jilin]], accompanying [[Music of Jilin|Huanglong]] music forms some of the basis of modern opera.<ref name="Cvista">Chinavista. "[http://www.chinavista.com/experience/piying/piying.html Chinavista.com]." ''The Shadow show.'' Retrieved on 2007-05-26.</ref>
[[File:Chinese shadow puppetry.jpg|thumb|Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theater whereby colorful silhouette figures perform traditional plays against a back-lit cloth screen, accompanied by music. From Kaifeng Prefecture.]]
Chinese shadow puppetry is shown in the 1994 [[Zhang Yimou]] film ''[[To Live (1994 film)|To Live]]''.