Event Details
WHAT: Behind the Silhouette โ An evening of shadow puppetry (in-person): Experience a magical shadow puppet performance followed by Q&A with the shadow puppet master, and try your hand at painting a shadow puppet!
WHEN: Wednesday 24 September 7-8.30PM (Beijing time) Doors open 6.30PM for light refreshments
WHERE: Wang's Shadow ๆฑชๆฐ็ฎๅฝฑ Beijing Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel. For Didi, input ๅไบฌๅธ่ฅฟๅๅบๆพๆ ่ก24ๅท, or Wang' Shadow Puppet Art Museum. Registrants will receive photos of entrance in 24hr reminder. If lost, call๏ผ010๏ผ83287846 for directions.
ABOUT THE EVENT: Join RASBJ for an evening of shadow puppetry and puppet painting with Master Mao and host David Bae of Wang's Shadow in Shichahai. The event will begin with two puppet shows led by Master Mao followed by a short Q&A. We will then have the opportunity to paint our own shadow puppets.
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: Chinese shadow puppetry, a form of traditional entertainment invented to console a heartbroken emperor, is strongly connected to Shaanxi province to the west of Beijing. The craft, passed down through families of puppet cutters and performers, boasts hundreds of thousands of tales, which are being documented by the current generation of shadow puppeteers. Stories of warring families and Buddhist legends are projected from a light source from behind a thin screen, accompanied by instrumental music and singing. Wang's Shadow, now in its fifth generation, has been experimenting with AI-powered shadow puppetry, while driving interest in the art among young people via a vibrant social media presence. For more, check Dang Feihua's Douyin account ็ๆฐ็ฎๅฝฑ-็กฎๅฎ็็ฎ (Wang Shi's Wicked Shadow Puppets)
ABOUT WANG'S SHADOW: Wang Shi (Wang's Shadow) from Shaanxi province are the performing family resident at Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel. Mao Zhongbo is a member of the Beijing Folk Artists Association and disciple of Wang Tianwen, dubbed the "World's No. 1 Knife". He started out as a disciple of Lu Hai, the sixth-generation successor of the Beijing Lu Family Shadow Puppetry Troupe. In 2005, he participated in the Tangshan International Shadow Puppet Art Festival, winning an award for Outstanding Individual Performance. Not only does he perform puppet shows every other day, but he also prepares the props and rehearses the musicians. Dave Bae, our interpreter for the evening, manages Beijing Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel. He has also established Laijinyuxuan teahouse in Zhongshan Park and the a Qing-themed post office in Xicheng district.
HOW MUCH: RMB 298 for members of RASBJ and of RAS branches in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong. RMB 378 for non-members. This price includes a welcome drink and nibbles. You may find payment by Alipay easier than by Wechat; you can also pay by credit card. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at http://rasbj.org/membership/
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I will attend" before noon on Monday 22 September and follow the instructions. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder. If an event's maximum capacity has been reached, those attempting to register will be asked if they wish to join a waitlist; those who join the waitlist will be notified automatically if/when a space becomes available. Regrets that RASBJ cannot accommodate everyone wishing to attend its events; recent events have sold out quickly; please register ASAP to lessen your chances of being disappointed.
MEMBERS OF PARTNER RAS BRANCHES: Please register 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. You'll receive three emails from us: the first confirming receipt of your registration request, the second requesting payment, and the third confirming receipt of payment. Any registrations which have not been paid for by noon on Monday 22 September will be de-activated.
REFUND POLICY: If RASBJ cancels the event, registrants will be refunded in full.
