摘要
有外国友人说．中国有种“比金子还贵重”的艺术。她生长在古老的楚王故里——云梦。那乡土味浓厚得掉渣。却是“闪电般如魔术”的艺术，这就是皮影戏。穿越三百年的时光，从清中叶时期流传盛行干湖北云梦的皮影戏，是中国的“皮影艺术之乡”，世界非物质文化遗产之一，享誉海内外。皮影戏距今已有2000多年，起源于秦末“楚”“汉”相争，张良情急之下用皮革来迷惑敌人的故事，后人受这个故事的启发，创造了皮影戏。皮影是用灯光将人工雕刻的人物、动物、景物的侧面形象映衬在纱幕上，然后由艺人操纵这些人物、动物、景物活动起来，同时配上道白或唱腔以表演故事的民间戏剧，具有浓厚的乡士气息。千百年来，这门古老的民间艺术，伴随着祖祖辈辈的先人们，度过了许多欢乐的时光。
Shadow play as an ancient Chinese folk art is priceless, commented by many foreigners. The art was originated in Yunmeng, a central-China county historically associated with duchies more than 2,000 years ago. To make the puppets, thin leather is adopted to carve out lines of the design for the use of performing. Moreover, to go with the moving shadows of the leather puppets, it also introduces music and narrative in local manners into the play, which combines such contradictory characteristics as rustic flavors and lightning magic.
