🎭 Have you ever seen a puppet show that makes you feel like the puppets are alive? In east China’s Shandong Province, there’s a special kind of puppetry called Laixi puppetry that’s over 2,000 years old!
What’s Laixi Puppetry? 🤔
Laixi puppetry is a traditional Chinese folk art where performers use beautifully crafted puppets to tell stories. These puppets have unique designs, fancy costumes, and they tell tales with ancient scripts and melodies.
Meet the Puppet Master: Jiang Yutao 🎎
Jiang Yutao is a fifth-generation inheritor of Laixi puppetry. That means his family has been doing this for five generations! Jiang wanted to make sure that kids like you could enjoy puppetry too, so he started adding modern twists to the traditional shows.
Bringing Puppets to Everyone 🚗
Jiang and his team travel all over to perform—cities, villages, schools, and even construction sites! They want everyone to see how cool puppetry can be. They use new themes in their shows and even work with technology like 3D printing to make awesome puppets.
Young People Join the Fun 🧒👧
Guess what? Most of Jiang’s team members are young people! They bring fresh ideas and lots of energy to the performances. They also help create new stories that kids and teenagers can relate to.
Going Global 🌍
Since 2017, Jiang and his team have visited more than 20 countries and regions like the United States, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Spain, and Italy. They’ve been sharing Laixi puppetry with people all over the world!
Why Is This Important? 💡
Laixi puppetry is a piece of China’s cultural heritage. By keeping it alive and making it modern, Jiang and his team help people appreciate traditional arts. Maybe next time you see a puppet show, you’ll think of the amazing journey of Laixi puppetry!
Get Involved! 🙌
Are you interested in puppetry or performing arts? Maybe you could try making your own puppet or putting on a small show for your friends and family. Who knows? You might be the next puppetry superstar!
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
