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The Characters of Xi'an shadow puppets are classified into carving and engraving according to Yuan drama after Yuan dynasty. The characters are made up of the Mo role, the costar role and other numerous categories.Shadow Puppets (Piying) bears the feature that each scene is accomplished by five people, some require seven to eight performers. Throughout the show, the scenario is sung by one foreground voice, all the movements are performed by one sticker controller with Piying, and all the music is played by three musicians, all of which can create the artistic stage effect of telling the history of thousands' years old with one mouth, welding millions of warriors with two hands". Huazhou Piying are made all exquisitely by hand of crown cow leather after more than 20 working procedures such as shaving, grinding, carving, dying, ironing and stitching. The sculpting and making of the figures and landscapes in Piying play have adopted both abstract and concrete techniques to deal comprehensively with the figures and landscape by adopted by bold application of compellation, artification, and cartoonization. The sculpts are simple, unsophisticated and elegant with strong ethnic features, which not only bear the value of artistic appreciation, but also that of collection. This is why there are so many museums, collections, artists and Piying lovers both at home and abroad have collected China Huazhou Piying. In international exchanges, Piying are often presented as high rank gifts to foreign friends by many Chinese.

It is said that in the late West Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped the West Han throng and chased Liu Xiu(who later became Emperor Guangwu of the East Han Dynasty). Liu Xiu was then chased to a temple on Huashan Mountain in Huazhou Fu( today's Huaxian county of Shaanxi province). On that very night when Liu Xiu was hidden in the temple, the citizens of Huazhou who had subjected to continuous war affairs came to the temple with Piying to pray for peace. They burnt joss sticks before the Buddha and performed Piying to seek blessings of peace.the sound of gongs and drums as well as hubbub had wakened the sound asleep Liu Xin in the temple, who mistook it for the noise made by the chasing troops of Wang Mang. Liu Xiu ran out of the temple hurriedly and hid in a cracked rock. When Wang Mang's troop arrived, Wang Mang sent for a soldier to find out about mixed sound. Approaching the temple, the spy saw dimly shadows of the tens of thousands of warriors and horses and heard the neighing of steeds, which made him firmly believe that Liu Xiu ambushed around. He went back and reported it to Wang Mang, which had made Wang Mang to change his mind and to call for more troops the next day. Hence, Liu Xiu hed the opportunity to escape on the same night. After defeating Wang Mang and became emperor, he conferred the title of "Royal Artists" on Huazhou Piying artists, who then performed specially for royal families and imperial court ministers. Later on, Piying had been passed on to the people outside the imperial court and the emperor had once hidden has been conferred the name" Hidden Dragon Temple". More amazingly, on the surface of the rock in which he hid, appeared one giant dragon with four smaller dragon, named" Crouching Dragon Rock". These historical sites are now well-preserved in today's Huaxian county.

Piying Puppets Shows

Selling Sundries (An Aria) It was a comic story about a peddler and a country girl. A peddler carried has sundries to a village, hawking his objects. A pretty girl stepped out and bargained with the peddler. He liked the girl but dare not speak it out. The smart girl understood his puns and liked him after a long talk with him. When he left, both of them were reluctant to say goodbye.

Lord Bao Conducting a Trail (An Aria) In Renzong's times of Song Dynasty,Pang Qi's daughter, the Imperial Concubine in West Palace, wanted to murder the unborn baby price of the Empress to make her own price. The baby was saved by a maid in the Palace ans sent to the Emperor's brother, namely, the eighth King of kindness. He cheated the killer by putting a leopard cat into the prince's swaddling-clothes. The prince stayed in the King's place for about ten years until he was discovered and murdered Pang Maohu. The case was presented to the court of Lord Bao. He examined the case carefully and executed the murderer with his famous copper hay-cutter. This scene is about the trail conducted by the Lord Bao.

Chopping the General Han Tianhua (An Aria) In Rezong's times of Song Dynasty, a northern minority country sent General Han Tianhua to pay tribute to Song. Han challenged General Di Qing to fight. Di accepted it and fought with him on the drill ground. Di Qing finally defeated him and killed him to avoid further trouble.

Courtesy Lotus(complete Series) In the times Wu Zetian, court official Xie Huanyao inspected local events secretly. One day she went by Pule nunnery, where was a Goddess of Mercy Fair, she went in pretending as a visitors. When she heard a man called Yuan Hua insulting her Majesty,she brought him back to the office and treated him with courtesy. Xiao Jiusan's younger sister Xiao Huiniang was engaged to Scholar Long. When Long studied away from home, her elder brother sold he to an local official Zhang Hong as his maid. She escaped away when getting the message. A sudden heavy rain drove her to a small temple, she met Scholar Long there by chance. Her elder brother found her stay with Long together in the temple, she sent them to the local court, accusing Long kidnapped her younger sister. Xie Huanyao judged the case with the local official Zhang Hong. Xie scolded Jiusan's dishonesty. Greedy Zhang Hong sentenced Huiniang to Long and kept Long and Huininang's keepsake for engagement"Courtesy Lotus" for his own. Xie was making vow in front of the Goddess of Mercy in the posterior house, Yuan HUa happened to hear her vow and picked the book "Courtesy Lotus". Afterwards they got married. Zhang Hong hated Xie for not being able to seize Huiniang, he traveled to his uncle in the Capital for help. His uncle reported to her Majesty that Xie had secret relationship with the rebellions. Wu zetian sent officials to arrest Xie. Xie was shocked and told it to Yuan, Yuan suggested her to overthrow Wu's rule and restore Tang Dynasty. Xie accepted his advice. Scholar Lon was appointed county official then, fought with Sun's troops and defeated Sun. Xie went to the county's office with Yuan as the hostage, managing to persuade Long to unite with Sun. When succeeded, Yuan and Xie forced Wu Zetian to give up the throne.