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Cultural Context

Used in puppet theatre performances.

Iconographic Meaning

Puppet: green and orange face suggests a complex character with devilish and/or supernatural powers. The long beard signifies an older man, and the fine features suggest nobility. Costume: red robe signifies nobility.

Description

Hand puppet representing the character Xu Wen (bearded official). Costumed cloth hand puppet with carved, painted wooden head, hands, and feet. Varnished green face with orange cheeks, black hair and details. Black hair beard (26 cm long) attached below nose; sideburns. Body (part a) is undyed cotton flaps, attaching around head, light blue hands with holes through sideways, stuffed legs, white and light blue soled black boots. Pasted and stitched red silk robe (part b) with three centre, paper reinforced front flaps, with centre mirror, brocade circle, turquoise and white fur trim. Yellow brocade at front edges, yellow strip inside front. Decorations include yellow silk insets along blue borders, green and light blue silk flower-like insets with metal sequins, tin edged mirrors and silver and gold foil wrapped thread. Yellow cord trim at orange and blue stand up collar. White cord tie at neck, otherwise costume is detachable.

History Of Use

This puppet represents the character Xu Wen (bearded official). Chinese hand puppet theatre continues to be an active form of popular entertainment in Taiwan. In general, it has a long (over 2,000 years) history which reached a peak of activity during the Qing Dynasty. By then Fukinese hand puppet theatre had reached Taiwan and by 1900, five hundred troupes were touring the island, playing during seasonal festivals, religious celebrations, birthdays, weddings and banquets. Traditionally, 7 men made up a troupe, 2 to manipulate the puppets and speak the roles, and 5 musicians to provide accompaniment and sound effects. Plots are adapted from novels, fairy and folk tales, history and from supernatural events. Short comic scenes opened the presentation, followed by long plays. By 1900, in Taiwan, puppet theatre began taking on distinctive Taiwanese traits, and after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Fukinese puppets were no longer imported. Puppets became larger (closer to 50 cm) and less finely carved. Costumes are patterned on Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) dress, and the iconographic style often follows Chinese opera.