Shadow puppet play troupe gives dwarfs chance to work
Source: Agencies |
January 16, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR years, Lu Defeng said his feelings were hurt when people visited the warehouse where he worked as an administrator and asked for his parents. Lu is a dwarf, a minority long condemned to lonely lives and lowly jobs in China.
But Lu, 25, found a job with Dragon in the Sky, a shadow puppet troupe that only employs dwarfs, giving them fulfilling jobs and helping keep an ancient tradition alive.
"It's difficult for us short people to find a job. We are not tall enough or strong enough," Lu said.
Dwarfs have fared no better in a modern and competitive economy. But shadow puppetry is a niche in which dwarfs enjoy a comparative advantage.
Performers need to be relatively short to manipulate cut-out characters held up in front of an oil lamp that projects their shadows onto a paper screen.
The plays are an ancient form of Chinese narrative, often used to tell myths and fairy tales to children. They remain popular today.
Founded in 2008 and run by Liu Lixin, 66, who is of normal height, Dragon in the Sky has recruited dozens of dwarfs from across China. The average height of troupe members is 1.26 meters.
"Deep down, these people feel they are inferior and humble," said Liu. "When they come to this troupe we tell them we offer a job and a source of income."
"This group of people is now very happy, harmonious and united," said Liu. "They work with more and more energy."
For many of the dwarfs, the troupe is now like family.
"It's like a sheep finding its flock," said Wu Chunxiao, 22, who joined three years ago. "I'm very happy."
But Lu, 25, found a job with Dragon in the Sky, a shadow puppet troupe that only employs dwarfs, giving them fulfilling jobs and helping keep an ancient tradition alive.
"It's difficult for us short people to find a job. We are not tall enough or strong enough," Lu said.
Dwarfs have fared no better in a modern and competitive economy. But shadow puppetry is a niche in which dwarfs enjoy a comparative advantage.
Performers need to be relatively short to manipulate cut-out characters held up in front of an oil lamp that projects their shadows onto a paper screen.
The plays are an ancient form of Chinese narrative, often used to tell myths and fairy tales to children. They remain popular today.
Founded in 2008 and run by Liu Lixin, 66, who is of normal height, Dragon in the Sky has recruited dozens of dwarfs from across China. The average height of troupe members is 1.26 meters.
"Deep down, these people feel they are inferior and humble," said Liu. "When they come to this troupe we tell them we offer a job and a source of income."
"This group of people is now very happy, harmonious and united," said Liu. "They work with more and more energy."
For many of the dwarfs, the troupe is now like family.
"It's like a sheep finding its flock," said Wu Chunxiao, 22, who joined three years ago. "I'm very happy."
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