Shadow puppetry is a national-level intangible cultural heritage.
To many young people, it is practically synonymous with “uncool,” “old-fashioned,” and “outdated.”
Jiang Ran thought so too, until his grandfather passed away.
Before he died, his grandfather gave him a red-lacquered wooden box passed down through six generations and said five words:
“The shadows are alive.”
Jiang Ran didn't take him seriously. Until one night, he saw his grandfather's shadow stand up and walk into the box with his own eyes.
From that day on, everything changed.
A Guan Yu shadow puppet landed and took form, its Green Dragon Crescent Blade cleaving the first evil spirit in two.
Shadow Elder awoke from the family's legacy and revealed a truth hidden for a thousand years:
Across the land of Huaxia, there are people who have wielded intangible cultural heritage as weapons for generations, protecting the peace of this land.
Shadow puppetry, nuo masks, paper-cutting, movable-type printing…
These forgotten traditional crafts were never mere decorations.
They are the last shield of the Huaxia people.
When foreign supernatural organizations infiltrate Huaxia, hoping to steal the core secrets of its cultural heritage;
when one inheritor after another is struck down in the shadows;
Jiang Ran takes up the carving knife his grandfather left behind and, stroke by stroke, carves out the responsibility of the sixth generation.
“You think intangible cultural heritage is just a bunch of antiques in a museum?”
“Today, I'll show you what five thousand years of Huaxia heritage can do.”
