皮影戲，又稱“燈影戲”、“提影戲”、“挑皮影”或“影戲”等，是廣泛流傳于我國民間的一種造型藝術與戲曲藝術相互影響、并行發展的綜合性藝術。皮影戲起源很早，學者考證認為，早在周代宮廷里就開始白天演傀儡、夜晚唱皮影的娛樂。這種藝術不斷成熟，在全國發展為河南、山西、陜西、唐山四大流派。其中，河南皮影戲以羅山皮影戲為代表。
    
    據明清時期編修的羅山縣志記載，明嘉靖時期皮影戲傳入羅山，距今已有400余年的歷史。清代河北灤川的皮影戲又到羅山演出，羅山皮影便大量吸收了灤川皮影的藝術套路、制作方法、表演藝術，積累了419個劇目，經常演出的有231出，大多是《封神演義》、《隋唐演義》的“一國之戲”，其音樂唱腔屬于綜合體，以板腔體為主，又保留著一部分曲牌體。
       
    羅山皮影具有鮮明的特點：
    
    1．影人造型考究，形象逼真，臉譜規范，制作用料精良，刀工精細；
    
    2．具有鮮明的地方特色，語言有不少豫南的民間口語、方言，音樂唱腔多豫南的民歌、民間小調，很受當地民眾喜愛；
    
    3．藝術語言豐富，唱腔有32個板式，能夠反映復雜的情感和社會生活，能夠表現各類大戲，更善于表現激烈的打斗場面，讓觀者有千軍萬馬之感；
    
    4．影人、帳幕較小，適宜于上山下鄉演出。由于這些特點，加上其豐富的劇目，它是豫南地區珍貴的藝術文化資源。但是，近些年來，不少藝人外出打工或下海，年輕人不愿從藝，后繼乏人，劇目流失，現從事演出者大都年逾古稀，亟需加強保護。
        
    2006年，羅山皮影被確定為河南省第一批民間文化遺產搶救項目。2008年，羅山皮影戲被列入國家級非物質文化遺產名錄擴展項目名錄。

 
 

Shadow Play
   
 

    Shadow Play, also called Galanty Play in ancient times, is a storytelling folk drama which uses flat articulated figures (shadow puppets) to create the impression of moving humans. When playing, the players stand behind the white screen controlling the puppets at the same time singing out the story with local drama tone, besides, combining with several percussion instruments and stringed instruments, which makes these plays full of local flavor. This kind of Han People's folk art is widely welcomed in rural areas in Henan and Shanxi province. In ancient times, when movies and TV sets had not created, this shadow play was a very popular folk entertainment.
     
    Shadow Play is a historic traditional folk art of Han nationality, which is called Donkey Shadow Play by ancient people in Beijing. It has been passed on by many generations and has brought so much pleasure to people. It's not only a puppet art nut also an authentic artware. It has elaborate making processes like curving, coloring, sewing, painting and so on with the skins of donkey, horse as materials. The feature of the puppets are different influenced by the different outside environment and the quality of materials, but the same characteristic is that they are all interesting, lovely and vivid.