Puppet shows in Chengdu has a long history. After its development in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, it was very popular after 1911. Shadow shows spread to Sichuan from north China. During the Republic of China (1912-1949), the lantern shadow show to the accompaniment of gong and drum music developed into one of the distinguished folk dramatic arts. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, a professional puppet and shadow theater was established in Chengdu. With its repertoire topping 100, the theater is frequented by children and teenagers. In the 1980s, Chengdu began to export its puppet and shadow shows.