wayangPromoting the art of Wayang Kulit MyKampung 2011-06-30 17:26 Symbolizing courage, wits and compassion, Javanese prince Seri Rama is the leading character of Wayang Kulit. Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily 1 of 5 Translated by Chan Li Lin Sin Chew Daily KUALA LUMPUR: Despite the fact that only males can inherit the art of Malay shadow puppet show, or better known as Wayang Kulit, Yang Ling-yan diligently plays the role of a guardian who safeguards the Malay traditional art. Growing up, the 34 year-old’s life and Wayang Kulit was almost inseparable. To date, her father Yang Fu-cheng remains Malaysia’s only Chinese puppet shadow artist (tok dalang), whose excellent performance has gained him recognition both in the country and abroad. Therefore, Yang developed an inexplicable passion for Wayang Kulit since young and not only that, her enthusiasm may have come from the respect and honour she feels for her father. The only Chinese artist in Malaysia Yang sees Wayang Kulit as not only a precious traditional and cultural art but something that enables her father to put food on the table for the entire family. She said, Wayang Kulit was very popular in her hometown, which is Kampung Pasir Parit at Pasir Mas, Kelantan. From an early age, her father came under the tutelage of several prominent master artists and at 13, he started to get involved in Wayang Kulit performance. From his humble beginning as a member of staff behind the scene, he has become a well-known “Pak Chu tok dalang” today. His flaming passion for Wayang Kulit has not faded a bit after all these years. Her father’s perseverance has inspired her to protect and preserve the traditional and cultural art. After graduating from university, Yang joined the workforce by taking up a position in the National Museum. She has been working in the same place for 10 years since then. Currently, she serves as the museum’s deputy head of services. Only male inheritance Since she was a child, she never thinks of inheriting her father’s career. Neither disinterested nor untalented, she is very clear that the Malay art of Wayang Kulit has never been passed down to a female. Several characters in the show cannot be played by females too. “Unable to learn the art, I conduct research on Kelantanese and Siamses Wayang Kulit, of which I’m most familiar with, through my understanding of the art. My study mainly focuses on the history of Wayang Kulit and its future development. I hope that this culture will be continuously preserved and passed down to the coming generations.” Observing the expressions of audience Since young, Yang followed her father around when he performed at Wayang Kulit shows. Every time when she sat among the audience, she would observe the audience’s expressions to see their reactions towards her father’s performance. Kids nowadays fail to understand the show “Previously, I observed whether the audience loved my father’s performance. Now, I look at the people’s understanding of the show. My finding is that kids in the past were aware of the show’s storyline but kids nowadays only find it fun to watch moving shadows on the screen. They don’t understand the plot after both watching and listening,” she said. Yang said, though her two year-old daughter seldom stays in touch with her grandfather, the girl clamours to watch his show every time after waking up from sleep. Daughter loves grandpa’s show “I have several silhouettes at home. Furthermore, the Wayang Kulit show performed by my father at my wedding was recorded and burnt into a disc. Every morning, my daughter is glued to the television watching the show. Sometimes, she imitates my father’s gestures and yell. Seeing her behaving in this way makes me feel that just like me, she would probably work on promoting Wayang Kulit after growing up,” she said. She added, many Malays fail to understand the traditional Malay art nowadays. She hopes that the relevant authorities can be more appreciative of it and actively promote this cultural treasure. Divergent views on the origin of show Yang said, there are divergent views on the origin of the Wayang Kulit show. One of them claimed that the art was derived from China’s Han dynasty. It was said as being a folk prescription to treat the emperor’s ailments. “The myth goes like this. A Han dynasty emperor was seriously ill and overcome by pessimism. To cheer the emperor up, the monks created the shadow puppet show by making use of the light from behind a piece of white cloth. After that, the show became common in the civil society. Though Yang is not familiar with the Chinese puppet shadow show, she believed that it bears some similarities with our Wayang Kulit. The silhouettes used in Malay Wayang Kulit show are made from the skin of cows or goats. They are divided into six distinctive types according to different regions and different characteristics. Wayang Kulit show has over 600 episodes and more than a hundred characters. The main characters include Pohon beringin, Seri Rama, Sita Dew, Pak Dogol and Wak Long. Yang said, the storyline of Wayang Kulit generally revolves around how the prince saves his princess after defeating the enemies. Having magical power, the main characters add mythical colours to the show, which also brings out positive and educational messages. Show content can be adapted over time Just like movies, the content of Wayang Kulit show can be adapted over time. For instance, in conjunction with the National Day, her father staged a performance featuring the history of the three major races fighting for independence. On Yang’s wedding, her father also presented a story as a wedding gift. Having conducted a survey to collect public opinions, she found that most people prefer the classic Wayang Kulit show, which storyline is a typical representation of the art.