Shadow play's heritage lives on

Against the backdrop of a white, translucent canvas, the legendary hero Shi Gandang of Taishan Mountain fought an evil wolf with a spear. The music made by gong and drum and the dazzling kung fu captivated the audience.

This was the Mount Taishan shadow play, performed by folk artist Fan Zheng'an on Friday at the Fifth China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo which is being held at Jinan, Shandong province till Sep 17.

As the performance went on, many people journeyed backstage to see the performers, but they were surprised to find Fan was the only performer. He controlled the puppets, sang and played musical instruments at the same time, all by himself.

From Tai'an, Shandong province, the 75-year-old said he started performing the Mount Taishan shadow play at the age of 8. UNESCO certified the shadow play as a world-class intangible cultural heritage in 2011, he said.