• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.263-291
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• 2003

This paper is to help the students in elementary schools develop and improve their English listening and speaking skills by presenting effective teaching and learning techniques using puppetry. It is absolutely obvious that listening and speaking are very important skills for most EFL students. Using puppets in the classroom is a creative English teaching technique which can involve authentic, communicative language situations. Moreover, puppets appeal to children and can aid in lowering affective filters thereby creating a more comfortable learning environment. The study clearly showed that using puppets is feasible and enjoyable in elementary English classes. However, caution must be exercised in drawing and generalizing conclusions from this experience. The results of the experiment are as follows: First, using puppetry in the English class was found to have positive influence on students' affective domains (interst, attitude). Second, using puppets in the English classes was found to be efficient for improving students' English listening and speaking skills. Third, appropriate materials should be selected and well thought-out plans should be made to be successful English class using puppetry. Perhaps the most interesting line of future research is to use qualitative research to examine the effect of this technique on the teacher variable. Further research is recommended, especially on using puppetry for speaking proficiency and creating affectively comfortable learning atmospheres.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.110-128
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to analyze the expressive characteristics of Chinese shadow puppetry costumes. Literature study and case analysis were conducted using books, research papers, and materials from the Xi'an shadow puppetry museum. Based on the Chinese traditional costumes, the shape characteristics are utilized with the intaglio and embossing techniques, and the complex and unnecessary details are omitted to express the costume image in a characteristic and simple manner. Second, colour was used according to the traditional Chinese symbolic colour concept, and the brighter the colour, the higher the role's status. The colour was also used to express identity and character. In addition, relatively vivid and highly saturated colours were used for the transparent effect of the shadow puppetry. Third, a role's status is indicated by the density and completeness of the patterns; the higher the role's status, the more complex and sophisticated the patterns, and the lower the status, the simpler the patterns or no patterns are used. Fourth, the faith for blessing expressed in the shadow puppetry is a representative folk auspicious culture. The repertoire of the shadow puppetry and the patterns on the costumes worn by the puppets, express the culture in an implicit way to symbolize the meaning of auspicious things.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.666-672
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• 2024

Shadow puppetry (皮影戏) is a traditional Chinese folk art that was inscribed in 2011 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This study focuses on analyzing the character sculptures, colors, and patterns recorded in professional books from Shanxi Province in northern China. The findings indicate that Shanxi shadow puppetry can be categorized into two types. The 'Xiaoyi' in northern Shanxi mainly features characters from the story of 'The Investiture of the Gods' (封神演义) and is characterized by the use of both intaglio and relief carving, dark colors, and a paper screen background. The 'Houma' shadow puppetry in southern Shanxi is influenced by the traditional Shanxi opera 'Jinju' (晋剧) and features four roles: Sheng (生), Dan (旦), Jing (净), and Chou (丑), using a mesh screen background. Shadow puppetry represents costumes, beliefs, lifestyles, social status, social systems, and Confucian culture from the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, utilizing both intaglio and relief elements, and traditional five-element colors(五行色). This study aims to understand the characteristics of the modeling art in Shanxi shadow puppetry, and to maintain the traditional craft features while adding innovative elements from animation and film, thereby promoting and preserving the traditional values of shadow puppetry culture for children and youth.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.827-836
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• 2012

After successful advent of Microsoft's Kinect, many interactive contents that control user's 3D avatar motions in realtime have been created. However, due to the Kinect's intrinsic IR projection problem, users are restricted to face the sensor directly forward and to perform all motions in a standing-still position. These constraints are main reasons that make it almost impossible for the 3D character to navigate the virtual environment, which is one of the most required functionalities in games. This paper proposes a new method that makes 3D character navigate the virtual environment with highly realistic motions. First, in order to find out the user's intention of navigating the virtual environment, the method recognizes walking-in-place motion. Second, the algorithm applies the motion splicing technique which segments the upper and the lower motions of character automatically and then switches the lower motion with pre-processed motion capture data naturally. Since the proposed algorithm can synthesize realistic lower-body walking motion while using motion capture data as well as capturing upper body motion on-line puppetry manner, it allows the 3D character to navigate the virtual environment realistically.