"While I was growing up, shadow puppets for me were like what Transformers toys are for today's kids," he says.

As a boy, he helped his grandfather wash and remove the hair from the animal skins used to make the puppets. It takes at least six months to dehydrate and degrease the skins.

"Grandpa told me buffalo skin is the best to make shadow puppets since it's durable and easy to color," He says.

"I liked sitting beside my grandfather, watching him cutting the puppets out of paper with over 10 knives of different sizes and then using minerals to dye different characters. He told me stories about each character while he was working."

He's parents didn't work as shadow-play artists. He quit his job at an architectural firm and formed a troupe in 1999.

His two children work in white-collar jobs in bigger cities, he says.

"This family tradition would be dead if I hadn't founded this troupe," He says.

"That would be shameful."

Troupe member Zheng Yuanqing, who joined He's troupe in its first year, says there were about 60 shadowplay troupes in southern Anhui decades ago. But theirs is now one of two left.

Zheng has practiced the art for half a century.

"We want to revitalize this art form. But we're old," the 74-year-old says.

"We need young people to carry on this legacy from our ancestors."

In 2010, He bought an old house for 170,000 yuan ($24,500) and spent another 600,000 yuan to renovate it into a shadow-play museum. It displays over 12,000 puppets and texts from Anhui that he has collected since 1999.

His troupe performs at the museum every weekend, in addition to touring nearby cities.

He also teaches students from two local primary schools about the puppets and hosts workshops guiding the children to make their own.

"It's enough if they remember the art form when they grow up," He says.

His favorite stories come from The Generals of the Yang Family.

"They're about loyalty, bravery and sacrifice to defend country and family," he explains.

"Those are virtues from traditional Chinese culture that are also important for today's children. They can learn these virtues from shadow play."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn