Chinese Puppet Show

Chinese Puppet Show	Chinese Puppet Show

The puppet show is better known as mu’ouxi, which has its roots in remote times. It is said that king Mu of the Zhou of oral history, on his way home from a big hunt on the Kunlun Mountain, saw a choral dance performed by Yanshi, a skilled carpenter, with wooden dolls made by himself. However, it was not until the Han Dynasty that the puppet show was mentioned as a full fledged form of amusement. Still, that puts it at least 2,000 years back in Chinese history.
As in most other countries, three types of puppet shows are presented in China: the rod-top puppet, the marionette and the glove puppet of these, the first type is most popular in China. The puppet generally less than a metre tall, is made with true-to-life features. It is raised overhead at the top of a stick by the puppeteer with one hand and manipulated by him with the other hand moving a pair of wire rods. This type of puppets generally does not show their feet.
The glove or hand puppet, rather like those in a Punch and Judy show, is also called “bag puppet” in China. About 20cm long, it is the smallest of the three types. Its dress in the form of a small bag, from inside which the puppeteer’s hand manipulates its postures and moverments.