Extra support

• China - puppets are made of leather and sticks. Shadow theatre began when one of the wives of Emperor Wu of Han died. She was 'brought to life' using an oil lamp and a jointed puppet made of leather.
• France - French missionaries who visited China brought shadow puppetry back to France in 1767. It was known as Ombres Chinoises (Chinese Shadows in French) and became Ombres Francaises (French Shadows).
• Indonesia - puppets are made of leather and sticks or buffalo horn handles. They are known as Wayang Kuilt and the plays are based on myths and moral stories.
• Taiwan - the puppets are 20-30 cm tall and made from leather. There is a large repetoire of scripts - more than 300.
• Thailand - Nag Yai puppets are made of cow hide and rattan and performances are accompanied by songs and chants.
• Turkey - Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters in traditional Turkish shadow plays.