Shadow play, also known as "shadow play" or "lantern play", is a folk drama in which people are silhouetted in animal skins or cardboard to perform stories. During the performance, the artists are behind the white curtain, while manipulating the actors, telling stories with local popular tunes, accompanied by percussion instruments and strings, with a strong local flavor. Its popularity is extremely wide, and a variety of shadow plays are formed due to the different voices played in different places.

Shadow play is an ancient traditional Chinese folk art. People in old Beijing call it "donkey shadow play". According to historical records, shadow play began in the Western Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and spread to Western Asia and Europe during the Yuan Dynasty. It has a long history.

In 2011, Chinese shadow play was selected into the list of representative works of human intangible cultural heritage.

In December 2018, the General Office of the Ministry of Education announced that the Shanghai Academy of Drama was the base for inheriting the excellent traditional Chinese culture of shadow play.