Laoshe Teahouse

I finally got to the Laoshe Teahouse last week, after our earlier aborted attempt. Our 5 year old guide book says they have folk music performances and other shows in the afternoons, but this seems to have been cut back to "Shadow Puppet" performances. There were very few customers in the middle of the afternoon. In the evening there are still music and opera performances, so maybe it is more popular then.


Shadow Puppet Show

So I sipped my expensive tea (I think $5 was the cheapest), which was indeed very nice, and watched the show for about half an hour, glad to get out of the hot sun. The shadow puppets are flat articulated dolls that are manipulated by the puppeteers behind a white, strongly illuminated screen. When they touch the screen, the elaborate clothing and decorations can be seen. Some simple story is acted out, with Punch-and-Judy level of violence, to the accompaniment of drums and other percussion.

This is "back stage" after the show:



Puppets, Screen, and Script


Array of Puppets