Old folk art to hit big screen

Road to Riches, reportedly China's first modern shadow-puppet film, has been jointly produced by the Tangshan Shadow Puppet Drama Troupe and Beijing SunMingQiang Film and TV Productions Inc.
In this feature film, the folk art of shadow puppetry, with a history of more than 2,000 years, and the latest in motion picture technology have been combined to tell the story of township head Zhou Guoliang's hard work to lead his fellow farmers near a North China city in their struggle to improve their lives.
Instead of just piecing together episodes done in traditional shadow puppetry mode, producer Sun Mingqiang and director Mao Yue have incorporated such state-of-the-art elements as digital cartoon and animation techniques in putting together the unique film. One of their goals in producing such a film was to help revitalize this endangered old folk art form.
"Traditional shadow puppet dramas focus on mythic and ancient tales featuring historical and legendary figures," said director Mao. "But this film breaks new ground. It vividly tells a real story about contemporary rural life in China. We also hope to attract the attention of today's demanding audiences who are more or less spoiled by too many choices in entertainment."
The film has been approved by the State Film Bureau and will be released nationwide this summer, according to the producer.