A lively and engaging shadow puppetry art exchange event was recently launched at Beijing Foreign Studies University, attracting young students from the Valley Christian Schools of the United States through a combination of lectures, shows and hands-on practices.

The event aimed to provide an in-depth look at shadow puppetry and enhance local and international teenagers’ understanding of China's rich traditional culture.

The Beijing Longzaitian Shadow Puppet Theater was mesmerizing young audiences with two classic performances: "The Monkey King Wreaks Havoc in Heaven" and "Chang'e Flying to the Moon.”

Theater artists also guided the audience members through the art of making shadow puppets. Many eager students even stepped out onto the stage to learn how to bring the puppets to life by waving their arms, turning around, and leaping around.

During this cross-cultural event, students created a series of shadow puppets blending Chinese and Western elements, showcasing the creativity and vitality born from cultural fusion.

Wang Xi, head of the theater, expressed her hope to use the dual bridges of language and art to help more young people overseas understand and appreciate Chinese stories.

In recent years, the Beijing Longzaitian Shadow Puppet Theater has been working closely with Beijing Foreign Studies University to stage bilingual shows and bring shadow puppetry to the global stage.