Jinli street - China puppet

These colorful puppets are cut from strips of leather. They are used in Chinese shadow shows.
The history or legend of their origin is interesting. During the Han Dynasty, the Han emperor was at war against the Chu who besieged them in a threatening manner. One of the advisers of the head of the Han army suggested to make leather warriors in order to fool their enemies by encouraging them to think that their army was massive, and this plan succeeded ! And this would be what inspired the making of these puppets.