*Gaozhou Puppet Show

*Gaozhou Puppet Show

Nominating Unit: City of Gaozhou

Also known as Gui Play, Gui Zai Play, Gaozhou Puppet Show is a folk art form that people love to watch. Starting in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Gaozhou Puppet Show is a kind of rod puppet. It is developed on the basis of Fujian hand puppet. It has been prevalent in the villages of Gaozhou for hundreds of years. The 28 towns and street communities own 23 puppet show troupes. The original performing form of Gaozhou Puppet Show is single puppet show. In the late Qing Dynasty, it developed mid-sized troupes. There is no regular venue for puppet show performance. All it needs is a small piece of open area. The puppet show can be held all the year round, with spring as the prime time for performance. On Lantern Festival and other joyous holidays, the puppet show is given to entertain both the god and the people. Gaozhou Puppet Show is performed in Gaozhou dialect. The lyrics are in the form of seven-character poem. The puppet show singing is carried on in a narrative way on the basis of Gaozhou folk song.

The theme of Gaozhou Puppet Show is mainly taken from historical stories, novels, folktales and fairy tales. The traditional play of Gaozhou Puppet Show is not less than several hundred years. The roles in the show distinguish the good from the bad clearly. The puppet show is of great importance in spreading historical knowledge and traditional morals. The actor in the puppet show himself is capable of singing, performance, speaking, percussion and playing music. Combined with engravings, costumes, performance, script and music, the puppet show is an outstanding cultural heritage and precious folk art. There is a saying that goes like this; Puppet show is the father of nowadays plays. Gaozhou Puppet Show is of great significance for the study on the history of China’s play, folk customs and communities as well as the construction of new culture.(https://www.daowen.com)

Gaozhou Puppet Show now is facing the danger of survival and losing successors. The social transformation, economic blow, diversified culture, the change in young people’s entertainmental orientation and the decreasing audience endangered the survival of Gaozhou Puppet Show. The puppet show lacks successors as the descendants of some famous artists of the show are unwilling to carry on their father’s cause. And it is also very hard to look for other successors in the society. Gaozhou Puppet Show is really on the edge of disappearance.

Gaozhou Puppet Show was selected into the list of the first batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.