Mon 20 Nov 2006
Quanzhou Marionettes on Display: A History of China
Posted by Mark Baker under 2006 Trip to China , Fujian Province , Quanzhou[3] Comments
As part of our tour of the Quanzhou Marionette Troupe’s headquarters, we went through storage and display rooms with a collection of marionette designs and characters so vast, it felt like a review of “5,000 Years of Chinese History” (ahem) in puppet form.
Some of the figures represented in marionette form are exactly what you’d expect.
The Tang Dynasty sages and The Monkey King marionettes, sure, no big shock there.
The marionettes representing soldiers in the Chinese revolutionary war, OK, that seemed to make sense after I saw them.
However….
The set depicting a pair of Japanese “Little Barbarian” invaders and their captive Chinese prisoner, well, that was as startling as my 2-year old’s follow-up question: “Daddy, why he got a doggie chain ’round he’s neck?”
Anyway, here’s your visual tour of just some of the Quanzhou Marionette display cases…
This first marionette is a replica of one found in 1979 during the excavation of a West Han Dynasy tomb in Shandong Province. The tomb and marionette were estimated to be over 2000 years old. The original marionette is as tall as me, 193cm/6’5″, but the one on display here is just half that size:
Head case:
The Period of Japanese Occupation:
The Communist Revolution:
Note: If you’d like to plan a visit to the Quanzhou Marionette Troupe Headquarters, Bill and Sue Brown have some additional information–including lots more background on Quanzhou Marionettes–for you over at Amoy Magic.
To visit the Troupe’s own Web site, in Chinese and with embedded midi audio on every page, go to http://www.cnqzmt.com.
April 12th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Hey Markļ¼
I’m so excited to see this website! This is my hometown Quanzhou!!! I’m now a freshman at James Madison University, VA. I’m just doing some research about Marionette. I decide to make a presentation it and let more of my friends know about Quanzhou Marionette
I feel so happy to see the familiar photos and places here ! I really miss home!
Xin
April 14th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Hi Xin,
They’re really great, those marionettes. We’ll be back in that area this summer and might go back to visit the Marionette Hall. I hope you’re having a good time in Virginia in the meantime.
Mark
September 22nd, 2009 at 9:17 am
Hi,Mark and Xin,
I’m so excited too!Because Quanzhou is also my hometown!!!I’m studying in HK now,and I’m going to write a article about my hometown.I search on the net and I find your blog!I have the same feeling with you,Xin!My topic is different from yours,which is about multiculture and religious structures in Quanzhou,but I do so excited to see the familiar photos!Mark, are you also interested in religions structures there?I believe is really also very special!