從前的小朋友有什麼娛樂？相信欣賞偶劇表演是其中之一。木偶戲古時稱「傀儡戲」，故事題材多是小朋友熟悉的歷史故事和神話傳說。今天木偶藝術在中國的發展已十分成熟，現在小朋友常見的有掌中偶、杖頭偶、提線木偶及皮影偶，甚至還有木偶電影呢！
How do kids amuse themselves in the old times? The chance is they must enjoy puppet shows. Called marionette in the old times, the storylines of puppet shows would be mostly epic sagas and fairytale folklores that are familiar to the young audience. Nowadays, puppet theatre is a well-developed and mature art form in China. Modern day puppetries familiar to most children included glove puppet, hand-and-stick puppet, suspended string puppet and shadow puppet; and of course, there are even puppet movies now!
中國木偶藝術源遠流長，相傳周代有一個叫偃師的工匠，造了一個巧奪天工的玩偶獻給周穆王。周穆王亦對這玩偶讚嘆不已。因這個流傳，偃師也被尊為木偶藝術的鼻祖。
Puppetry as an art form goes back a long way in China. Legend has it that during the Zhou Dynasty, a fellow by the name of Yan Shi created an exquisitely crated puppet toy and offered it to King Zhou Mu. The monarch favoured this playing toy so much that he was lost for words in amazement. Because of this legend, Yan Shi is venerated as the forefather of puppetry art.
皮影偶是一個用牛皮、驢皮或羊皮再加工成半透明狀，塗上顏色後，還要用火磚烘烤壓平而成的作品。完成後的皮影偶不僅十分可愛，也是一種不可多得的民間藝術品。
Shadow Puppet is a handicraft artwork created by processing cattle hide, donkey hide, or sheepskin into a translucent pelt, then painting it with colours before it is baked dry inside a brick oven. The finished product is not only very pretty; it is also a highly valued folk art.
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