Recently, a post-00s inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage shadow puppetry applied this ancient technique to present the dance moves of Michael Jackson, which instantly went viral on the internet.

This young man is Dang Feihua, a post-00s inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage Wang Family shadow puppetry. 

During the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou this September, Dang Feihua compiled over 100,000 pieces of shadow puppetry collections from the Wang‘s Shadown, several books on intangible cultural heritage and shadow puppetry techniques, planning and organizing a series of international shadow puppetry art collaboration exhibition projects, also attracting many young people's attention to the traditional shadow puppetry art.

Dang (center) with his grandfather Wang Tianwen (left) and his mother Wang Haiyan 

Dang is the fifth-generation inheritor of Wang's Shadow, a family troupe based in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, which is famous for shadow puppet making, and especially its carving skills. Dang's mother Wang Haiyan is one of the top 10 folk artists in China, and his grandfather Wang Tianwen is an industrial art master. Dang has embraced the family legacy. Not only does he skillfully blend the traditional with the contemporary in his creations, he also pioneers methods to enhance the presentation and preservation of this cultural heritage, especially ways of integrating the ancient art form into daily life.

A collaborative shadow puppetry work by Wang's Shadow in partnership with a mobile game

Traditional Wang's Shadow puppets are mostly destined for collection. However, Dang thinks that this should not be the only choice.

His team has around 10 craftsmen, mostly middle-aged, who have studied with his mother and grandfather for many years. This year, with his family's support, Dang is expanding the team and wants to be involved in more cultural and innovative projects.

"We need to seamlessly integrate shadow play into our lives, to make it attractive to the younger generation, so that this cultural tradition thrives."

He envisions incorporating shadow puppet elements into various aspects of daily life, including clothing, food, housing and transportation, through more interdisciplinary collaborations.

"We aim to demonstrate the excellence of our traditional culture, and its ability to produce remarkable creations. Once people realize that shadow puppets can be cool, their natural inclination will be to become involved." 

A collaborative shadow puppetry work by Wang's Shadow in partnership with a mobile game

Besides exhibitions and performances at home and abroad, Wang's Shadow has tried many other ways to present and promote shadow puppetry, including crossover cooperation with artists and directors, and launching cultural, innovative and customized products with brands."I channel all my ideas for revitalizing traditional intangible cultural heritage into shadow puppetry. Following the success of shadow puppetry, we can share this model with other relevant educators, to revitalize more aspects of our heritage."