A poor hunchbacked barefoot Greek with ragged clothes and plenty of wit offered on Sunday laughter and joy to Greeks and Chinese living in Greece who watched his adventures to China in a spectacular show staged at a central Athens theater.

Karagiozis is his name and he is the leading character of shadow theater plays in Greece for over a century.

Karagiozis (means black eyed in Turkish) has a history tracking back centuries to the Middle East.

According to some scholars, he was introduced to Greeks during the times of the Ottoman Empire. Others argue that Greece got acquainted with Karagiozis thanks to a 19th century Greek merchant named Mavromatis (black eyed in Greek) who lost his fortune in China and adapted the Chinese shadow theater tradition to dramatize the reality of the Ottoman rule.

However, they all agree that this odd hero has entertained generations of Greek children aged two to 102, as Karagiozis himself says, with his unique humor, while facing difficulties and struggling to feed his family -- his wife and three sons named Kollitiria (meaning soldering iron in Greek).

On Sunday, the popular shadow puppet figure won the hearts of Chinese as well during a performance of "Karagiozis in China," the latest play written by prominent Greek artist Sotiris Charidimos which was performed by his puppet theater group to celebrate Sino-Greek friendship and collaboration.

The event was organized by the newly established Sino-Hellenic Cooperation Network under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens. Sunday's performance launched Karagiozis' new mission to win more fans in China and the network's program of cultural events to further promote bilateral ties between the two countries and peoples.

In the land of Karagiozis, the jobless family man, hit hard by the current economic crisis in Greece, decides to seek a better future in China. "I am going to China to be saved from famine," he tells his closest friend, Hadjiavatis, before riding his bicycle to the moon and eventually reaching "a magnificent land."

In China, Karagiozis is introduced to the "great player and figure designer She Tsuan." They discuss about the art of shadow theater and the creation of a network to promote friendship, peace and prosperity. Karagiozis learns about the Chinese zodiac signs, he wishes that the snake brings good luck to debt-laden Greece this year, he dances to forget his hunger.

In the finale, the hero wakes up in front of his shanty to realize the entire trip was a dream. But sometimes dreams come true and the pigeon of peace he offered to She Tsuan in his dream lands on his head.

"This poor Karagiozis is the Greek struggling to earn his living. He contrives plans which bring laughter. He runs onto Barba Yorgos (Uncle Yorgos), Hadjiavatis and all the other characters in the plays," Charidimos told Xinhua in an interview after the show.

"I sat down and wrote 'Karagiozis in China' and thought to myself how could he get there, since he is poor. He can't make it on foot, he can't take the airplane or a ship, and he can't swim to get to China. So I gave him a bicycle. But he made a mistake and instead of China he reached the moon first. All this is a dream performed by my students," he explained.

Karagiozis' resourcefulness and humor brought rounds of laughter and applause from the audience.

Adults enjoyed the satire on the current economic situation in Greece and symbolism in the plot. For the occasion, a translation of the script in Chinese was available in addition to subtitles over the semi-transparent screen.

But, even children with no knowledge of the Greek language enjoyed the magic of shadow theater and danced to the rhythm of Greek folk music played by artists next to the screen.

The Chinese Ambassador to Greece Du Qiwen, who attended the event, told Xinhua that the art of shadow theater, which originated in China and spread to the world including Greece, is itself the result of cultural exchanges between the east and the west.

Du said the play reflects the Greek people's fondness to China as it is described as a calm, peaceful and beautiful place in the play.

"The theme of the play is very positive and healthy as it promotes peace and friendship," added the ambassador.

Sunday's show was held at the Charidimos Shadow Theater Museum, which hosts the large collection of hundreds of figures and materials of one of the most renowned families of Karagiozis puppeteers in Greece.

The family's tradition was started more than a century ago by Sotiris Charidimos' grandfather, Christos, who performed in squares and open air markets at the port of Piraeus. He taught the trade of shadow plays to his son Yiorgos who then handed the baton to his son Sotiris.

Today, when Sotiris Charidimos is not presenting classical plays and shows inspired by modern history, he teaches young people this traditional art with the hope that it will not disappear completely.

"I am writing new plays in addition to the scripts I inherited from my father. We are three generations of Karagiozis puppeteers. My father, my brother, myself and now my son continues. We try to keep the tradition alive," he said.

Shadow theater was the only form of entertainment for decades in Greece before the days of cinema, radio and television. During the second part of the 20th century, Karagiozis died out, but still holds a special place in the hearts of Greeks.

China as the birthplace of the shadow theater and Chinese artists have a special place in the heart of Sotiris Charidimos, he told Xinhua.

"I haven't visited China yet. I wish I could visit the country and see the shadow theater which is the first worldwide. Chinese brought the shadows to the rest of the world," he said.

"I have seen Chinese figures and I have read books on Chinese figure making. They are masterpieces. Our figures have a difference -- they are larger compared to Chinese, because we use larger screens. Our figures are made of leather, cardboard and celluloid," he said.

What is the message he wants to send to Chinese audience and the world through his beloved Karagiozis' new adventure?

"I present Karagiozis as a pacifist. What is the meaning of this? Do not kill the world's Kollitiria, the world's children. That's why I have given him a lamp on one hand symbolizing education and a pigeon on the other sending out the message of peace in the world," Charidimos said.

"All human beings are shadows. Our life is a shadow theater play. Beginning and end. It is a shadow theater play. That's why we should always do good deeds and love each other. That's it," he said.