The art of light and shadow

For years, their stage was the countryside: village courtyards, open squares and temple fairs. Under the moon or electric lights, silhouettes told stories of loyalty, love and legend from the classics.

Last year, the troupe gave more than 120 performances, around 20 of them in downtown Xining. Tourist attractions and bustling commercial complexes have since become their new, modern prosceniums.

"No matter where we perform, the moment the singing starts, joy follows. Our shadow puppetry must keep its roots in the countryside, but it also needs to branch out into the city and take root there," Zhou says.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, the troupe's schedule has grown denser, with more than 20 performances already booked.

Looking ahead, Zhou hopes the troupe's performances will make more and more people fall in love with shadow puppetry.

As the music swells again and the lamps brighten, the figures carved from oxhide take flight once more behind the screen.

Behind that single, illuminated rectangle of cloth, they dance a silent ballet that connects, across distance and difference, the shimmering lights of the city with the enduring shadows of the village.