Tengchong shadow play is a popular and widespread art form of Han nationality among the people in Tengchong, Yunnan. It's mainly spread around Tengchong County in Yunnan Province. It's called "Light shadow", "Shadow figure", or "Local movie". The shadow figures are mostly made of cowhide, the shape is larger and simple, it is about 50 cm high, and the round wire is used mostly.

     Tengchong shadow play was introduced from Hubei and Hunan provinces and Sichuan province during Hongwu Period in the Ming Dynasty, it has a recorded history of more than 200 years and still maintains regular performances. According to legend, it was brought to Tengchong by immigrants from regions south of the Yangtze River, Hubei and Hunan provinces, Sichuan province and other places in the early Ming dynasty.

    Tengchong shadow play is organized by village and is called "Tang". It is equivalent to a shadow play troupe in a village. There were nearly a hundred Tangs in the heyday of the Qing Dynasty. At present, the most influential shadow play troupe in Tengchong is Liujiazhai troupe in Gudong Township. Under the teaching of the old artist, Mr. Liu Dingzhong, the troupe has a breakthrough and innovation in singing, performance, music, image, armour (shadow figure) and so on. They have participated in folk art exhibitions in counties, cities and provinces, and have been praised by the audience and experts.

    As the only non-stop folk shadow play so far in Yunnan and even the whole southwest region, Tengchong shadow art has been paid great attention by various departments at various levels in the provinces and counties as well as experts and scholars at home and abroad, and has attracted wide attention from the media at home and abroad. The artist, Liu Yongzhou, was awarded the title of "Ethnic Folk Senior Artist in Yunnan Province" by Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the shadow figures made by him were also displayed in the "Best Art Exhibition of Yunnan Ethnic Folk Art in the Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China" and he was interviewed by CCTV channel 1; artist Liu Dingsan was also awarded the title of "Ethnic Folk Senior Artist in Yunnan Province".

    In June 2000, Gudong Township in Tengchong was named as "The Town of Chinese Folk Art (Shadow)" by the Ministry of Culture. In 2003, Liujiazhai troupe in Gudong Township, as the only shadow play representative in southwest China, took part in "Golden Lion Award" second puppet shadow competition and won the bronze medal for performance (composite), and the artists Liu Yongzhou and Liu Dingsan also won the Modelling Production Award.