Chinese shadow theatre figures
(Chinese: 皮影戏, pí yĭng xì) or
shadow puppetry is an ancient form of
storytelling and
entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated
backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes.
Chinese
Mainland China
Shadow puppetry originated during the
Han Dynasty when one of the
concubines of
Emperor Wu of Han died from an illness. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an
oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life.
[Ewart, Franzeska G. [1998] (1998). Let the Shadows speak: developing children's language through shadow puppetry. ISBN 1858560993] Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the
Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the
Ming Dynasty there were 40 to 50 shadow show
troupes in the city of
Beijing alone. In the 13th century, the shadow show became a regular recreation in the barracks of the Mongolian troops. It was spread by the conquering Mongols to distant countries like
Persia,
Arabia, and
Turkey. Later, it was introduced to other Southeastern Asian countries.
[Chinavista. "." The Shadow show. Retrieved on 2007-05-26.] The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of
mulberry paper. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of
Buddhist sources.
Today, puppets made of
leather and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In
Gansu province, it is accompanied by
Daoqing music, while in
Jilin, accompanying
Huanglong music forms some of the basis of modern opera.
Chinese shadow puppetry is shown in the 1994
Zhang Yimou film
To Live.
Taiwan
The origins of
Taiwan's shadow puppetry can be traced to the Chaochow school of shadow puppet theatre. Commonly known as leather monkey shows or leather shows, the shadow plays were popular in
Tainan,
Kaohsiung, and
Pingtung as early as the
Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Older puppeteers estimate that there were at least a hundred shadow puppet troupes in southern Taiwan in the closing years of the Qing. Traditionally, the eight to 12-inch puppet figures, and the stage scenery and props such as furniture, natural scenery, pagodas, halls, and plants are all cut from leather. As shadow puppetry is based on light penetrating through a translucent sheet of cloth, the "shadows" are actually silhouettes seen by the audience in profile or face on. Taiwan's shadow plays are accompanied by Chaochow melodies which are often called "priest's melodies" owing to their similarity with the music used by Taoist priests at funerals. A large repertoire of some 300 scripts of the southern school of drama used in shadow puppetry and dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries has been preserved in Taiwan and is considered to be a priceless cultural asset..
Terminology
A number of terms are used to describe the different forms.
- (皮影戏, pí yĭng xì) is a shadow theatre using leather puppets. The figures are usually moved behind a thin screen and is not entirely a show of shadows as it is more of a silhouette shadow. This gives the figures some color, and is not 100% black and white.
- (纸影戏, zhĭ yĭng xì) is paper shadow theatre.
- (中國影戏, zhōng guó yĭng xì) is Chinese shadow theatre.
France
The show began to spread to Europe in the mid-18th century, when French missionaries in China took it back to
France in 1767 and put on performances in
Paris and
Marseilles, causing quite a stir. In time, the
Ombres chinoises (
French for "Chinese Shadows") with local modification and embellishment, became the
Ombres françaises and struck root in the country.
The art was a popular entertainment in Paris during the 19th century, especially in the famous nightclub district of
Montmartre. The tradition in
France dates back to at least the mid-18th century when it was brought back by travellers to the Orient. The puppeteer
Dominique Séraphin first presented the spectacle in Paris in 1776, and in
Versailles in 1781.
The cabaret
Le Chat noir ("The Black Cat") produced a number of popular
Ombres chinoises shows in the 1880s, organized by the artist
Henri Rivière, using up to 20 assistants and a large,
oxy-hydrogen back-lit performance area. The
Ombres evolved into numerous theatrical productions and had a major influence on
phantasmagoria.
India
It was claimed by Sunul Chakraborty that the ancient Indian art of storytelling with the help of pictures began with the Harappans civilization. several Harappan seals show ancient Indian traditional folk tale in a progression of scenes. This archaeological finds prove that pat, the folk painting of Bengal, exist before the arrival of the Aryans in India. Modern Indian names: Killekyata, Killikets (these two also present shadow plays), citrakathi, c[h]itrakar, patua, patidar, pat, par, para, etc. Their ancient names were: yamapattaka, mankha, maskari, and saubhika. The latter is however very controversial, a difficult word, and much disputed among scholars. There is lack of agreement on the meaning of saubhika mentioned in the ancient texts. But the majority make out the meaning as either "picture showman" or "shadow player".
Indonesia and Malaysia
Shadow puppet theater is called
Wayang in
Indonesia and it is particularly popular in
Java and
Bali. Wayang literally means "shadow" or imagination in
Javanese, also connotes "spirit." Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by
gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali, and originally might last all night long.
UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit from Indonesia as one of the
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on
November 7 2003.
In
Malaysia (
Kelantan), shadow puppet plays are known as
wayang kulit. In
Malay,
Wayang means shadow or imagination, while
Kulit means skin and refers to the leather that puppets are made from. Stories presented are usually
mythical & morality tales. There is an educational moral to the plays which usually portray a battle between Malay shadow plays are sometimes considered one of the earliest examples of
animation.
The puppets are made primarily of
leather and manipulated with sticks or
buffalo horn handles. Shadows are cast using an
oil lamp or, in modern times, a halogen light, onto a
cotton cloth background. They are often associated with
gamelan drum music (or
Pinpeat orchestral in
Cambodia). Shadow plays are very popular even today. They are performed during sacred temple ceremonies, at private functions, and for the public in the villages. A performance can last all night long, sometimes up to six hours or until dawn.
Thailand
A Nang drama player and puppet.
Shadow theatre in
Thailand is called
Nang Yai; in the south there is a tradition called
nang Talung (หนังตะลุง). Nang Yai puppets are normally made of
cowhide and
rattan. Performances are normally accompanied by a combination of
songs and
chants. Performances in Thailand were temporarily suspended in 1960 due to a fire at the national theatre. Nang drama has influenced modern
Thai cinema, including filmmakers like
Cherd Songsri and
Payut Ngaokrachang.
The Ottoman Shadow Play and its Turkish and Greek descendants
The
Turkish tradition of shadow play called
Karagöz and Hacivat was widespread throughout the Ottoman Empire and featured characters representing all of the major ethnic and social groups in that culture. It was performed by a single puppet master, who voiced all of the characters, and accompanied by a classical Ottoman music ensemble. Its origins are obscure, deriving perhaps from an older
Egyptian tradition, or possibly from an Asian source.
During the 19th century these characters were adapted to the Greek language and culture,
Karagöz and
Hacivat becoming
Karagiozis and
Hadjiavatis with each of the characters assuming stereotypically Greek personalities. This tradition thrived throughout Greece after independence as popular entertainment for a largely adult audience, particularly before competition arose from television. The stories did, however, retain the period setting in the late years of the Ottoman Empire. Karagiozis theatre has undergone some revival in recent years, with the intended audience tends largely juvenile.
Shadow puppetry today
Shadow puppeteer, 2006
In the 1910s the
German animator
Lotte Reiniger pioneered
silhouette animation as a format, whereby shadow play-like puppets are filmed
frame-by-frame. This technique has been kept alive by subsequent animators and is still practised today, though
cel animation and
computer animation has also been used to imitate the look of shadow play and silhouette animation.
Shadow theatre itself is still popular in many parts of Asia.
Prahlad Acharya is one famous
Indian magician who incorporates it into his performances.
It also appears occasionally in
western popular culture, for example in:
- The entertainer Bablu Mallick, who used used shadow play in his act during 1980's TV appearances, including on Paul Daniels Magic Show.
Australia
Richard Bradshaw OAM is a famous Australian shadow puppeteer. His character
Super Kangaroo is just one in his varied repertoire. The skill of Bradshaw has been featured in television programs made by
Jim Henson.
The Shadow Theatre of Anaphoria (relocated to Australia from California) combines a mixture of reconstructed and original puppets with multiple sources of lights. The company is under the direction of
Kraig Grady.
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