Shadow puppet around Asia

History and characteristic

Chinese shadow puppetry

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. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, shadow puppetry began spreading to the working class where it was embraced as a people's folk art.

Wayang kulit

Developed before the 10th century, the form had origins in the Thalubomalata, the leather puppets of southern India. The art of shadow puppetry probably spread to Java with the spread of Hinduism. The prototype of the wayang figures is the wayang kulit, or shadow puppet made of perforated, elaborately painted leather.

Indian shadow puppetry

Shadow puppet theatre likely originated in Central Asia-China or in India in the 1st millennium BCE. By at least around 200 BCE, the figures on cloth seem to have been replaced with puppetry in Indian Tholu Bommalata shows

Nang Yai

Nang Yai is a form of shadow play found in Thailand. Puppets are made of painted buffalo hide, while the story is narrated by songs, chants and music.

Performances are traditionally held in open spaces such as a lawn or village dirt space. A white cloth screen about 16 metres long and 6 metres high, with a decorated border, is stretched across the stage. Behind the screen, a bonfire is lit to project the puppets' shadows. During the show, a Thai instrumental ensemble plays music appropriate to each episode, synchronized with the puppets' actions. Offstage reciters tell the story in a sort of heightened speech.

Nang Sbek Thom

In Cambodia, the shadow play is called Nang Sbek Thom, or simply Sbek Thom, Sbek Touch and Sbek Por. It is performed during sacred temple ceremonies, at private functions, and for the public in Cambodia's villages. The popular plays include the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, as well as other Hindu myths and legends. The performance is accompanied by a pin peat orchestra.