![]() ![]() It spreads knowledge, promotes cultural values and entertains the community, especially the youth. Chinese shadow puppetry also passes on information such as cultural history, social beliefs, oral traditions and local customs. When the puppet was finished, the priest slipped. He painted the puppet to look somewhat like the emperors wife. The relevant skills are handed down in families, in troupes, and from master to pupil. The priest made a puppet out of bits of clay. Some puppeteers are professional, while others are amateurs performing during slack farming seasons. Manipulated by puppeteers using rods, the figures create the illusion of moving images on a translucent cloth screen illuminated from behind. Shadow plays are performed by large troupes with seven to nine performers and smaller troupes of only two to five, primarily for entertainment or religious rituals, weddings and funerals and other special occasions. Chinese shadow puppetry is a form of theatre acted by colourful silhouette figures made from leather or paper, accompanied by music and singing. ![]() Many puppeteers also carve the puppets, which can have between twelve and twenty-four moveable joints. If you have questions, comments or ideas feel free to contact me. If you like what you’ve learned here, please tell your friends. They master special techniques such as improvisational singing, falsetto, simultaneous manipulation of several puppets, and the ability to play various musical instruments. Welcome to the first-ever comprehensive Chinese shadow pupptery site in English. Many elder shadow puppetry artists can perform dozens of traditional plays, which are orally transmitted or found in written form. Despite suffering a decline in popularity into the present, shadow puppetry nonetheless remains a significant and fascinating symbol of Chinese cultural history.Įxcited to learn more about other aspects of Chinese traditional art and culture? Check out our articles on Guilin Opera or traditional Chinese clothing to learn more about China's fascinating artistic and aesthetic traditions.© China Puppet and Shadow Art Society, 2009Ĭhinese shadow puppetry is a form of theatre acted by colourful silhouette figures made from leather or paper, accompanied by music and singing. In the dynasties that followed, shadow puppetry became a celebratory custom for farming and laboring families, with thousands of specialized troupes traveling and performing across the nation.ĭuring the communist revolution in the mid-twentieth century, shadow puppetry was temporarily banned in provinces where officials viewed it as a negative reminder of feudal tradition. ![]() The roots of shadow puppetry in China can be traced back to the early Han Dynasty, where the practice served as a form of entertainment reserved only for nobility.ĭuring the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, shadow puppetry began spreading to the working class where it was embraced as a people’s folk art. The dalang (shadow artist) manipulates carved. 1 In a wayang kulit performance, the puppet figures are rear-projected on a taut linen screen with a coconut-oil (or electric) light. Through their performances, shadow plays work to pass on historical stories, social morals and cultural myths from generation to generation. Wayang kulit ( Javanese: ) is a traditional form of puppet-shadow play originally found in the cultures of Java and Bali in Indonesia. Placed against translucent cloth screens, puppets are then manipulated by skilled masters to create the illusion of movement which is usually accompanied by song and dance. S ome shadow puppets depict people, while others are crafted in the shape of real animals like lions and mythical animals like Chinese dragons. Have you heard of Chinese shadow plays, an art considered by many to be the world’s first ever form of puppetry? Traditionally constructed out of natural materials like animal skins and mineral pigments, these marionette-like figurines are painted in order to symbolize archetypal characters from Chinese legends.
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