"Shadow play (Chinese: 皮影戏, pí yĭng xì) or shadow puppetry is an ancient form of
storytelling and
entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated
backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes."
"Shadow puppetry originated during the
Han Dynasty when one of the
concubines of
Emperor Wu of Han died from an illness. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an
oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life.
[1][2] 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
troupes in the city of
Beijing alone. In the 13th century, the shadow show became a regular recreation in the barracks of the Mongolian troops. It was spread by the conquering Mongols to distant countries like
Persia,
Arabia, and
Turkey. Later,
it was introduced to other Southeastern Asian countries.[3] The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of
mulberry paper. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of
Buddhist sources.
[1] Today, puppets made of
leather and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In
Gansu province, it is accompanied by
Daoqing music, while in
Jilin, accompanying
Huanglong music forms some of the basis of modern opera.
[3]
--Wiki
"Chinese shadow puppets are rather different from their Indonesian and Turkish relatives. They are very delicate items, normally made from donkey skin and decorated with cut-out designs and translucent dyes. They are usually so thin that the colours as well as the outline are displayed on the screen. Unlike both Javanese and Turkish shadow theatre there was a very wide range of Chinese characters to perform in many different plays, whether military, religious or simple folk tales. "
The real situation is something like this:
How about it behind the curtain?
"Chinese wax printing is a special Chinese handicraft typical of ethnic characteristics and local styles. As one of the most antique handworks, it is perceived as an important part of China's ancient civilization. Qin (221-206BC) and Han (206BC-AD220) dynasties and prevailing in the Sui (581-618) and Tang dynasties (618-907), wax printing, which been passed down from one generation to the next in China, is a uniquely inspired drawing and dyeing handwork of the Miao ethnic minority. 
