Beijing seniors perform the old art of hawking in Beijing June 9, 2007 in celebration of the second Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Across the country, various celebrating activities were held to arouse the sense for the protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritages. [Photo: Xinhua]

China has just marked another Cultural Heritage Day over the weekend. From last year on, each second Saturday of June has been set as the country's Cultural Heritage Day. It is a special opportunity for the general public, especially the young, to get close to some centuries-old folk arts and cultural treasures. Some heritage sites were opened to the public for free on Saturday, and rarely-seen traditional Chinese operas and folk arts were on show across the country. However, the message on cultural heritage preservation travels further than just that day. Experts believe public awareness is increasing, but that there is still a long way to go. Wang Jing reports.

REPORTER: This is a live performance of the Chinese Shadow Play or Chinese Shadow Puppet play. It is a dramatic form which uses lanterns to project the shadows of a puppet onto the screen. The artistic effect of the play is produced through light, the screen, music, singing, and puppet operation. The shadow play is widely regarded as "a magic, lightning-like art" and has won high praise in many countries. 

All of the voices and sounds you have just heard have actually come from just one man - Fan Zheng'an, a shadow play folk artist from east China's Shandong province. He has been invited to Beijing to perform in the celebrations for the second Cultural Heritage Day on Saturday.

This one-man show is a type of Chinese shadow play unique to Fan Zheng'an's hometown near Mt. Taishan.

"You have to mobilize every part of your body and mind - your eyes, lips, ears, mouth, arms and legs. While tapping the drum and gong with your feet underneath, you'll have to move the puppets with your hands, singing or narrating with your mouth.

His performance has won laughs and impassioned applause from an audience a mere cloth screen away. Alexandra is a tourist from the United States.

"I really liked it. I am fascinated by how they move the puppets around. First I thought there were two people. And then it turned out to be just one man back there doing it with two hands controlling different puppets."

The two-dimensional puppets in the shadow play are made of transparent and dyed leather. Shadow artists first carve out the lines of the design and then dye them in bright colors. These transparent leather puppets become very lively and beautiful under the lantern light.