The personalities of puppets

Besides fourth-generation artist Wang Haiyan, 74-year-old third-generation master Wang Tianwen exhibits Havoc in Heaven, an intricate blend of shadow puppetry and traditional Chinese gongbi painting (a refined, realistic style). It depicts the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong in the Journey to the West, a classic Chinese novel written in the 16th century, with light filtering through fine details to create multilayered hues. "My grandfather Wang Tianwen merged shadow puppetry with gongbi painting, refining the craft through exceptional detail," Dang explains.

As the youngest inheritor, Dang brings a more dynamic and creative touch to his work. His piece Shadow Puppetry MBTI transforms MBTI personality traits (an analysis system based on Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung's theory of personality types) into shadow puppet representations, reflecting the way shadow plays shape characters based on personalities.

"My MBTI type is ENTJ, and I carefully studied each personality profile, integrating cultural elements into the designs," he says. "For example, INTJs, known as 'architects', are represented by the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (a historical landmark in Xi'an) in their headdress."