Quick Answer: What Is Zhangzhou Glove Puppetry?
Zhangzhou glove puppetry (漳州布袋木偶戏, Zhāngzhōu Bùdài Mù’ǒuxì) is a form of Chinese puppetry from southern Фуцзянь. Also called palm theater (掌中戏, zhǎngzhōngxì), it uses a hand inside a cloth body to control the puppet’s head and arms.[1]
- Movement: The performer’s index finger supports the head.[1]
- Craft: A carved face signals the kind of character before it moves.[2]
- First viewing: Watch an excerpt for the way a puppet handles a prop.[4][5]
Watch a small movement such as a nod. Then watch what happens when two puppets enter an exchange.
A puppet tilts its head, pauses, then turns to face another figure. Each change starts with the hand inside its costume.
How the Hand Becomes a Puppet
The puppeteer slips a hand into the costume from below. The palm supports the body, the index finger holds the head, and the thumb and remaining fingers move the arms. A skilled performer can work two figures, one per hand, while giving each a distinct posture.[1]
Before the puppet moves, its painted and carved face gives the audience a clue to its character. Its expression draws on Chinese opera role types and can signal a solemn official, a comic figure or another recognizable character. Zhangzhou’s head carving and its glove-puppet performance were listed separately in China’s national heritage inventory in 2006.[2][3]
What to Watch in Daming Prefecture
In Daming Prefecture (大名府, Dàmíng Fǔ), look for the way a puppet holds a prop, turns toward another character or completes a gesture such as pouring a drink. Follow the whole action from picking up the prop to releasing it. The object gives you a fixed point for seeing how the puppet’s arm moves. The troupe has performed the piece both in Zhangzhou and on tour.[4][5]
The accompaniment helps mark a change in pace. Reporting on the local preservation center links the accompaniment with gezaixi (歌仔戏, gēzǎixì). Listen for how the accompaniment carries the tempo when the action moves from a held pose to a quick exchange.[1][5]
How the Tradition Is Taught
Training covers making the figures and learning to perform with them. In 2012 UNESCO selected a Fujian training strategy for its Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. It describes teaching materials, professional training and performance spaces for both hand and string puppetry.[6]
FAQs About Zhangzhou Glove Puppetry
Is Zhangzhou glove puppetry the same as Quanzhou string puppetry?
The Zhangzhou form uses the hand inside a cloth body. Quanzhou string puppetry uses lines attached to the figure and controlled from above.[1][6]
Where has Daming Prefecture been performed in Zhangzhou?
People’s Daily documented a performance at the Puppet Art Performance Hall in Zhangzhou Old Town. Consult the venue’s own program for specific dates.[4]
Источники
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Zhangzhou Glove Puppetry
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Zhangzhou Puppet Head Carving
[3] Fujian Provincial Government. A Small Stage and a World in the Hand
[4] People’s Daily via Fujian Daily. Minnan Culture in Zhangzhou
[5] The Paper. Zhangzhou Glove Puppetry in Local Cultural Life
[6] UNESCO. Training Future Fujian Puppetry Practitioners