String puppetry was called hanging silk puppetry in ancient times, and is commonly known as Jiali in southern Fujian, also known as string play. It is an ancient traditional art of the Han nationality. When Wang Shenzhi entered Fujian and proclaimed himself king in the late Tang Dynasty, puppetry was introduced to Quanzhou. By the Song Dynasty, it had become widely circulated among the people of Quanzhou. In the Ming Dynasty, Quanzhou puppetry had broken away from the "puppetry" form of fragments and acrobatic performances, and was able to perform large-scale historical dramas. Taishun puppetry has a history of more than 800 years. Like Taishun covered bridges and ancient dwellings, it has won more and more attention and favor from the world. It has now been included in the provincial intangible cultural heritage list and is one of the important historical and cultural heritages of the Han nationality in Zhejiang Province. As a folk art and cultural entertainment project that the people love to see and hear, Taishun County string puppetry has a strong influence in modern society and among the people. Taishun puppetry originated in the Song Dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and later gained the reputation of "the hometown of puppetry". Taishun puppet artists have superb acting skills and are fascinating; their performances are all over the rural towns in eastern Fujian and southern Zhejiang, and they have visited the United States and Japan. To date, there are still more than 30 folk puppet troupes in Taishun, and their artistic style remains the same, singing in villages anytime and anywhere. Generally, Taishun folk string puppet troupes are composed of 7 to 10 people. The actors are all farmers, and the props are light and simple. They farm during the busy farming season and perform puppets during the slack season. Many troupes perform more than 100 shows a year. It is understood that among all kinds of puppet shows in my country, string puppets are the only type of puppet show with their own musical genre "puppet tune". The voice of "puppet tune" is vigorous, simple, rough and high-pitched, and it still retains the melody of more than 300 tunes. The image of the string puppet is complete and the workmanship is exquisite, especially the carving and pastel craftsmanship of the puppet head, which are unique and ingenious. The performance of the string puppet is relatively difficult, and each puppet image is set with 16 to more than 30 slender strings. Artists of all generations have created many lifelike characters with exquisite traditional wire gauges and skilled performance skills, reflecting the artistic characteristics of string puppets, which are delicate, realistic, vivid and vivid. String puppets were called "suspended silk puppets" in ancient times. They are composed of puppet heads, belly cages (made of bamboo, commonly known as bamboo cages and baskets), limbs, and string heads (commonly known as pipa heads), and are about 2 feet high. The puppet heads are carved from camphor wood or other miscellaneous woods with fine textures. The special puppet heads are equipped with mechanisms that are controlled by silk threads to make the eyes, nose, mouth, and tongue move. The neck of the puppet head is pointed at the top and thin at the bottom, and is connected to the belly cage by two threads. The belly cage is woven from bamboo strips, with slightly larger chests and buttocks and a slightly thinner waist. The hands are carved from wood, and the right hand is the movable hand. Its metacarpophalangeal joints and wrist joints are controlled by wires, and can perform actions such as holding a sword, waving a knife, holding a cup, and holding a cup. There are two types of feet: "boot feet" and "dan feet". In the past, they were all made of wood, but later on, the wooden feet were covered with shoes and boots, which made them more realistic. "Dan feet" used to be small feet, but in the 1950s and 1960s, they were changed to ordinary female feet. The thread head is made of bamboo, with the front half 5 inches long and 2.2 inches wide, and the back half 5 inches long and 0.3 inches wide, with a bamboo branch hook in the middle. To make a puppet, first use silk ropes to connect the limbs to the belly cage, and then use blue-black silk threads to connect the thread head at the upper end and the lower end to connect the head and limbs. The number of silk threads varies, depending on the needs of the character's movements. The basic threads are usually 10, 2 for the head, 1 for the back, 2 for the left hand, and 3 for the right hand. There are also puppets with more than 30 threads, which are used for puppets that need to perform stunts. For example, the clown monk has 2 threads on the head, a straight thread on the back, 1 on the chest, 2 on the shoulders, 2 on the buttocks, 8 on the upper limbs, and 6 on the lower limbs, for a total of 22 threads. The two strings on the head and one on the back of the puppet are very important. The three strings connect the puppet head and the belly cage into a whole, which can not only stabilize the puppet and keep it balanced, but also manipulate the puppet so that it can make forward and backward pitching, left and right swinging and other movements. The puppet has won the admiration of the audience with its unique perfect image and delicate and vivid performance skills. In March 2015, Taishun puppets appeared at the World Wood Day International Wood Culture Festival held in Eskisehir, Turkey, and won the praise of local citizens. Ji Tianyuan Ji Tianyuan, a Taishun native, was born in 1964. She is a representative inheritor of Zhejiang Province's intangible cultural heritage, a member of the China Arts and Crafts Association, a chief stage technician, and a master of arts and crafts in Wenzhou. Ji Tianyuan has been learning puppet carving and painting skills from Ji Guifang since he was young. He is specialized in puppet head carving and car toy design and production. Over the past 30 years, he has won the Zhejiang Province Three Carvings Creation Century Talk Gold Award, the First International Folk Handicrafts Exhibition Gold Award, the China Woodcarving Creation Grand Prix Silver Award, the Zhejiang Province Second National Folk Handicrafts Exhibition Tiangong Award, and the title of Wenzhou Top Ten Young Folk Artists. ...... More >>> Ji Tianyuan Ji Tianyuan, a female from Taishun, was born in 1964. She is a representative inheritor of Zhejiang Province's intangible cultural heritage, a member of the China Arts and Crafts Association, a chief stage technician, and a Wenzhou Arts and Crafts Master. Ji Tianyuan has been learning puppet carving and painting skills from Ji Guifang since he was young. He is specialized in puppet head carving and car toy design and production. Over the past 30 years, he has won the Zhejiang Province Three Carvings Creation Century Talk Gold Award, the First International Folk Handicrafts Exhibition Gold Award, the China Woodcarving Creation Grand Prix Silver Award, the Zhejiang Province Second National Folk Handicrafts Exhibition Tiangong Award, and the title of Wenzhou Top Ten Young Folk Artists. ......Details>>> Ji Tianyuan, a female from Taishun, was born in 1964. She is a representative inheritor of Zhejiang Province's intangible cultural heritage, a member of the China Arts and Crafts Association, a chief stage technician, and a master of arts and crafts in Wenzhou. Ji Tianyuan has been learning puppet carving and painting skills from Ji Guifang since she was a child. She specializes in puppet head carving and car toy design and production. Over the past 30 years, she has won the Zhejiang Province Three Sculpture Creation Century Talk Gold Award, the First International Folk Handicraft Exhibition Gold Award, the China Woodcarving Creation Grand Prix Silver Award, the Zhejiang Province Second National Folk Handicraft Exhibition Tiangong Award, and the title of Wenzhou Top Ten Young Folk Artists. ......Details>>>