Although the puppets in Chinese shadow theater are small, the productions are anything but short of operatic. With musical scores, detailed backdrops, and highly involved-plot lines, both young and old, rich and poor enjoyed watching this popular folk art. For 2,000 years, the puppets have brought to life Peking opera, Chinese folk tales and fantasies of Old China. Chinese Shadow Puppets are crafted from translucent parchment. They are painted or stained multi-color, which create colored hues and shades in the shadows. Their bodies usually consist of eleven parts - the head, the upper body, the lower body, two hands, two feet, two upper arms, and two forearms. The head is usually portrayed in profile. The puppets are illuminated by light, which casts a shadow onto a screen of mulberry paper or white cloth. The Museum's exhibit included photographs of more than twenty shadow puppets and text on the history and characteristics of shadow puppets.