During theMing Dynasty, the shadow play continued to be staged in cities and villages. It was not only a favorite of the broad people of the lower class, but also was welcomed by educated people as well. People may get a glance at its popularity at the time through a eulogistic poem written by Qu You of the Ming period. Qu was a novelist who was well known for his classical Chinese novel New Tales Under Lamplight.
In the poem, we can see that historical stories remained the contents of puppet shows in the Ming period as a tradition passed down from the Song Dynasty. And the story referred to in the poem was about the war staged betweenLiu Bangand Xiang Yu scrambling for supreme power in the country in the third century BC -- the history of the war between the Chu and Han kingdoms.
The poem reads like this: A new shadow theater was recently opened at the entertainment center in the south of the town. / The theater, through illuminating candles and lights, / Shows the rise and fall of the kingdoms past. / Though he lost in the war, retreating to a ferry / By the Wujiang River, / The Conqueror of Chu remains to be honored / As a hero even doomed to flight.
During theQing Dynasty, especially in the period between the late Qing and the early Republic of China, shadow shows prevailed across the whole country and various local styles were also established.
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