Puppet show has a history of more than 2,000 years in China. According to the "Liezi Tangwen Pian", there were already puppet performances during the reign of King Mu of Zhou. In the Song Dynasty, puppet show entered its heyday, with mature forms and a wide variety of types, including rod head puppets, string puppets, medicine puppets, water puppets and meat puppets. Historical Origin The puppets in Ningyang County belong to the rod head puppet category. In the late Qing Dynasty (about 130 years ago), the art was passed on by Wuqiao artists in Hebei to Sun Fangzhen of Sunjiatan, Ningyang. Sun Fangzhen and his four sons made bold innovations in puppet show, changing from performing only small plays to performing large-scale traditional Shandong Bangzi repertoires. The performances covered cities such as Zaozhuang, Xuzhou, Suxian, Bengbu, Zibo, and Boshan. In 1940, when Ningyang Puppet Show was performed in Jinan, he met Dou Chaorong, a famous Shandong Bangzi actor. Dou said: "You are the pioneers of Shandong Bangzi Opera to open Jinan." Around 1944, due to the invasion of Japanese imperialism, artists and troupes were often persecuted, and performances were often banned. Ningyang puppet show went from its previous prosperity to a freezing period. After liberation, the government and all parties worked together to give Ningyang puppet show a new life and further expand it, and a puppet troupe was established. Through the efforts of several generations of the Sun family represented by Sun Yunteng, Sun Yunqing, and Sun Zhenhuan, the performance scope of Ningyang puppet show has been further expanded, and it has a great influence in many cities in Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. Its footprints have spread throughout the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and more than 40 repertoires have been performed. During the Cultural Revolution, the troupe was disbanded, and Ningyang puppet show was almost lost. After the reform and opening up, the local government focused on supporting Ningyang puppet show, and Ningyang puppet show has regained new vitality. Folk artists represented by Sun Zhentao, the heir of the Sun family, have rescued, excavated, reformed and innovated Ningyang puppet show. Today, Ningyang puppet show continues to be active in Shandong, Henan, Anhui and other regions. Artistic characteristics Ningyang puppet is the only rod puppet in China that has developed from four sticks to three sticks. It has a history of more than 130 years and is known as the "No. 1 puppet in Jiangbei". The singing style is mainly based on Shandong Bangzi, Shandong Lv Opera, and Henan Opera. It has a complete range of roles, and is one of the rare local operas in China. Ningyang puppet show has its unique artistic characteristics. First, Ningyang puppet show reflects the unique artistic characteristics of puppets in northern my country. Ningyang puppet show consists of four parts: puppets, manipulators, dubbing actors, and bands. The actors have complete roles; the band has gradually expanded from the original "tight seven and slow eight" to a variety of national musical instruments, and even used Western musical instruments; the martial arts field has changed from three gongs and drums played by one person to single lifting and single beating, which enhances the artistic effect; Ningyang puppets belong to the rod puppet category. The earliest puppets were small in size, mostly made of fragrant flour, with rough shapes, narrow stages, and shaped like sedan chairs. After the Sun brothers improved it, the puppet man was as big as a teapot, mostly carved from wood, and the image became exaggerated and lifelike. The mouth, eyes, ears, tongue, and beard can all move, and can express vividly. The puppet manipulation method is unique in the country, and it has developed from four sticks to three sticks. The stage has also been boldly innovated, from less than 2 meters wide to 68 meters and 45 meters high. Ningyang puppet show is good at change, especially in performing myths and fables. The performance is suitable for all ages. In 1962, Sun Yunteng, Sun Yunqing, Sun Zhenhuan and others went to Beijing to perform the classic play "Sun Wukong Three Fights the White Bone Demon", and were cordially received by Chairman Mao and other party and state leaders. Second, the main performances and singing styles of Ningyang puppet show are rich and colorful. The representative performances of Ningyang puppet show mainly include: "Wang Xiaoganjiao", "Chen Ping Fights the Dynasty", "Anti-Yanghe", "Sun Wukong Three Fights the White Bone Demon", etc. The singing styles of Shandong Bangzi, which was originally single, have been added to Peking Opera, Lü Opera, Henan Opera and other singing styles. Third, the fifth and sixth generation descendants of Ningyang puppet show boldly improved the pigments for painting the face makeup to acrylic paint, combining white powder, egg white and oil paint. Because acrylic paint has bright colors, is non-reflective, waterproof, and not easy to crack, the painting effect has been significantly improved. The production steps of puppets: First, paste the prepared pulp and hemp paper on the outer layer of the puppet mold, and separate them from the mold after the pulp and hemp paper are completely dry. Professionals will draw the face makeup according to the different roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo and Chou, especially the eyes, lips, teeth, hands, eyebrows and other places should be highlighted to make the puppets have prominent personalities, bright colors and lifelike. The puppet costumes are designed and cut by professionals according to the needs of the characters in the play, both traditional and fashion plays. The first basic feature is social popularity. The performance areas are mainly in Jinan, Tai'an, Liaocheng, Jining, Dezhou, Heze and other places in Shandong, and have influenced Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and other regions. Due to its realistic image, skillful operation, and organic combination with local operas such as Shandong Bangzi, Lv Opera, and Henan Opera, it has a wide range of radiation and influence. Second, it is folk entertainment. Ningyang puppetry has a rich repertoire, and the performances are easy to understand and close to the lives of ordinary people. Its story content is mainly based on folk legends, myths, fairy tales, and fables, which truly serves the purpose of entertaining the public and is an art form that people love to hear and see. Third, it is unique artistry. Ningyang puppetry organically combines multiple art forms from production, manipulation to performance. One person can play multiple roles and sing a variety of singing styles, which is difficult to see in other local operas. Art and market development value Ningyang puppets are lifelike. According to the needs of the characters, the ears, tongue, eyes, beard, fingers, etc. can be moved, and they can make various movements and express themselves vividly. The entire process from production to performance has a great influence on the art of the time and later, such as fine arts, sculpture, handicrafts, music, performance, and opera. Therefore, it has a high artistic research value. Ningyang puppets are made and manipulated in a unique way, and the puppets are vivid, with rich repertoires and performances close to the people. They have a wide range of influences and have a good social and mass foundation. It is a good brand among the local operas in Jiangbei, so its market development potential and development value are great. Protection and development The Ningyang County Government raised 50,000 yuan from the society and established the Ningyang County Amateur Puppet Troupe. The Ningyang County Cultural Department invested 5,000 yuan to purchase musical instruments for the descendants of Ningyang Puppet Show, and also invested 10,000 yuan to rescue, collect, and organize the development data of Ningyang Puppet Show for more than 100 years by the descendants of the Sun family. In September 2006, the county government clearly pointed out that "puppetry is a key feature of the culture and we must rescue and explore it with all our strength." At the same time, it formulated the working idea of "inheriting tradition, bringing forth new ideas and boldly innovating." It also established a talent team of "old artists taking on new apprentices and signing inheritance relationships," and incorporated the brand of "Jiangbei's No. 1 Puppet" into the operating mechanism of the cultural industry. In January 2007, Ningyang Puppetry, a traditional opera, was included in the "List of Shandong Province's Intangible Cultural Heritage."