Abstract: As a world intangible cultural heritage,shadow play in Hebei province has left a brilliant mark in the cultural history of traditional Chinese opera.Rooted in folk art,shadow play in Hebei province draws on folk music,fine arts,opera,dialect,sculpture and other folk cultures to form different aesthetic characteristics of shadow play in eastern Hebei,central Hebei and southern Hebei.The eastern Hebei provinces distinctive dialect combined with the unique“throat singing”has its own characteristics,the central Hebei provinces paper-cutting,martial arts,acrobatics and other folk arts are introduced to enrich the artistic expression of shadow play,and the southern Hebeis local customs,historical and cultural landscape provide diversified materials for shadow play.Moreover,local beliefs inspire shadow play and endows it with such themes as worship,blessing,warning and exhortation,thus making it both entertaining and educational.

Key words: Yanzhao shadow play, folk custom, aesthetic culture