‘Pocket shadow puppet’actors in Pingyao ancient city

The shadow puppet theatre near a gate in the Old City of Pingyao, Shanxi province put on a performance of The Origin of Pingyao by eight "pocket people" players, which got a rousing reception from the audience.

Members of the "pocket people" troupe, in Pingyao, get their nickname from the fact that they average no more than 1.3 meters in height, and have an average age of 20. The troupe got its start when one of these special people, Bai Changmao, went to Beijing, in 2011, for further study of shadow puppetry and its methods and set it up with other "pocket people". And, in his words, "We're all healthy but have small bodies and the theatre not only provides a stage for us to present our version of traditional culture, but arena place to show ourselves."

The troupe is now working hard on their shadow puppet programs with Pingyao characteristics in hopes of conveying their charm to tourists.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw