Tours in Xian: Xian One Day Tour to Enjoy Shadow Puppet Show in Gao's Couryard

Tour Itinerary

Today, our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in Xian or Xian train station, you'll find a welcome signage "Xian Private Tour". And you'll have chance to enjoy the Shadow Puppet Show in Gao' Courtyard. Afterwards, your tour guide will take you to Tangbo Art Museum, and you'll learn Chinese Paper Cutting. 

Our Xian Pick Up Sign "Xian Private Tour"

After finished the tour, our tour guide will take you back to your hotel in Xian or Xian train station and your tour ends.

Xian Shadow Puppet
The Shadow Puppet Show is found at Gao Grand Courtyard on Beiyuanmen Street in the central Muslim Quarter of Xian. From the Bell Tower travel to the Drum Tower and at the back of the drum tower is the entrance of Beiyuanmen Street. The Puppet show is found on the left side of the street, roughly half-way along. Drum Tower, entrance to Beiyuanmen Street and Beiyuanmen Street shown below.

Shadow Puppet, an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often shows figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images, it enjoys great popularity in China. The performer manipulates the characters behind the screen while singing the libretto to tell the story. Shadow puppetry wins the heart of an audience by its lingering music, exquisite sculpture, brisk color and lively performance. One mouth tells stories of thousands of years; a pair of hands operates millions of soldiers. This is how the shadow puppeteer works. It is very amazing to watch shadow play in the Gao's Courtyard.

Chinese Paper Cutting
Chinese paper-cutting is one of the oldest and the most popular folk arts in China. It was originated from ancient activities of worshipping ancestors and gods,  a traditional part of Chinese culture. Since the Eastern Han dynasty, as paper became more affordable since, paper-cutting became one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. Later, this art form spread to other parts of the world, with different regions adopting their own cultural styles. Because the cut-outs are often used to decorate doors and windows, they are sometimes referred to as chuang hua window flowers or window paper-cuts. People glued the papercuts to the exterior of windows, so the light from the inside would shine through the negative space of the cutout.

The tools for paper cutting are simple: paper and scissors or an engraving knife, but clever and deft craftspeople are remarkably good at cutting in the theme of daily life. It is easy to learn about cutting a piece of paper but very difficult to master it with perfection. One must grasp the knife in an upright fashion and press evenly on the paper with some strength. Flexibility is required but any hesitation or wiggling will lead to imprecision or damage the whole image. Engravers stress the cutting lines in several styles. They attempt to carve a circle like the moon, a straight line like a stem of wheat, a square like a brick, and jaggedly like the beard. When you look at items made in this method carefully, you will be amazed by the true to life expressions of the figure's sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals' diverse gestures. 

Price Per Person in US Dollars