Silhouette Show Xian

Silhouette Show Xian

Silhouette Show is extremely popular among the Chinese. It involves the projection of shadows of leather-silhouettes on a screen using light. The movement of the shadows is followed by songs and music.

Pi Ying Xi, as Silhouette Shows are also called, are deemed to have been carried over thousands of years. Even in its early years its popularity spread to different parts of Asia and even to Europe.

Silhouette objects are usually made of cattle hide or donkey hide. After the hide is polished, it is carved and subsequently painted. The skill of the artisan lies in being able to impart a distinct personality to each of his characters. Some famous Silhouette shows are Princess Wencheng Enters Tibet, Competing to Become the Bridegroom, Traveling the West lake and Imperial Concubine Yang .

Silhouette Show, Xian originated during the Han Dynasty and blossomed during the supportive Tang Dynasty. It reached its pinnacle during the Song Dynasty. Silhouette Show requires a lot of vocal talents and the artisans' skill in also put to test.

The story about the origin of Silhouette Show has acquired mythical proportions of a romantic story which has helped it find easy currency in a world which stints on idealism. The story is about the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty whose love for his Queen was in commensurate with her divine beauty. Tragedy reared its ugly head up in the form of the Queen being afflicted with a life threatening disease. The Emperor's grief far exceeded his love for life when his beloved wife transcended from her corporal self into a few fragments of memory. When his grief had spent itself, the Emperor ordered the sorcerer to exorcise the Queen's spirit. The sorcerer tried all he could only to fail at following the royal orders. Knowing very well the outcome of such a failure, the Sorcerer had to devise a way to save his head. He summoned the Emperor's concubine and dressed her in the manner of the Queen. Then he projected the concubine's shadow on the wall and presented it to the Emperor. Whenever the grief stricken Emperor tried to move closer the shadow he was warned of causing displeasure to the spirit. It is thus believed that the descendents of the Sorcerer transformed this projection of shadows into an art.

Tourists can visit leather-silhouette Museum located in Xian. The Museum houses thousands of leather-silhouette collection. This Museum is the only one of its kind and purports to preserve and research in

Book Xian hotels now