Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Xu Wen (bearded male), with separate beard. Head and hands of puppet (part a) are carved from wood. Components painted beige. Character has a sharp nose, moveable eyes and large ears. Mouth is dark red, eyebrows are painted black with sharp spikes in the middle. Eyes have a thick black lining, cheeks are rosy. Back of head and area around ears painted black, imitating hair. He is wearing a plaid cap with metal buttons along the bottom edge. Short strands of dark brown-black hair attached to the top of the cap. The character is wearing a red robe, with extended gauze-like sleeves that drape down. The robe has a left side opening, secured with ties and metal buttons, and a small right side slit. The sides of the robe have pink panels. Cuffs bordered with a wavy blue ribbon. Curvilinear and linear motifs across robe, done in silver and dark green sequins. Dragon(?) design, done in dark green, silver and gold sequins, on centre front and back of robe. Dragon is hovering over a cloud(?), done in dark green sequins. Character has a matching collar, that secures at the front, with white animal hair(?) along bottom edge. Collar trimmed with wavy blue and yellow ribbons. There are curvilinear and linear motifs across it done in dark green and silver sequins. Plaid undergarment beneath robe. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to his head, and two more are attached to each hand. Eyes are operated by a wooden rod inside of the central bamboo rod. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out and re-attached. Beard (part b) consists of long black fibre attached to a wire covered with string. Shaped to fit over ears and below mouth of puppet.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Xiao Chou (clown). Head and hands carved from wood. Head painted pink beige. Character has a long nose, moveable eyes and large ears. The mouth is painted dark red and frowning, eyebrows are painted black and furrowed. Black dots painted across chin, and around mouth, imitating a beard. Eyes are black-rimmed and area around ears and back of head painted black, imitating hair. He is wearing a dark blue cap with metal buttons along the bottom edge. The character is wearing a light brown-yellow plaid robe. It has a small opening at the neck, loosely stitched shut, and two small side slits. There are metal buttons at the centre front and centre back of the neckline. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to his head, and two more attached to each hand. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Sheng (male), with separate headdress. Head and hands of puppet (part a) are carved from wood. Head and right hand painted pink beige. Character has a long nose, large ears, moveable eyes and painted designs on his face. The mouth is bright red, eyes are black-rimmed with red eyelashes. There are curvilinear motifs across his forehead and a comma shaped marking on the chin. His cheeks are covered by large semi-circles, that stretch from his nostrils to the sides of his face. All painted designs are done in red. The area around the ears and back of the head are painted black, imitating hair. Character is wearing a plaid cap, with metal buttons along the bottom edge, and secured at the back with a tie. Character is wearing a yellow robe, with extended sleeves that drape down. The robe has a left side opening, bordered in white and secured with ties, with a small right side slit. Collar bordered with a wavy green ribbon. Cuffs have a white ribbon trim, bordered in dark green, with red curvilinear motifs embroidered on them. Curvilinear and linear motifs across robe, done in dark green sequins and sparkly silver and pink ribbons. There is a light pink ribbon, with dark pink and green floral designs embroidered on it, two thirds of the way down the front and back of the robe. Large dragon design on centre front of robe, embroidered in stiff silver, pink, red and yellow thread. Character has a front opening red robe underneath the outer yellow robe. All edges are bordered with pale pink bands. Below that, character is wearing a plaid undergarment. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to his head, and two more attached to each hand. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out. Headdress (part b) made of cardboard, with a metal frame, covered in black fabric. Headdress consists of a square cap, that fits over the head, and a rectangle that attaches to the back. All edges of the square and rectangle are trimmed with a wavy green ribbon. Square cap has silver curvilinear attachments along the top and sides. The surfaces are entirely covered in sequins and beads. Sequins are silver, light blue, dark green, dark pink and light pink, and the beads are all silver. Numerous protruding, curled wires, with large silver, white and pink beads and pompoms, are along the top of the curvilinear attachments. Two yellow tassels hang down from either side of the cap. Rectangle at back of headdress has two wing-like attachments along the bottom edge. Wings are thin and trimmed with wavy green ribbon. Interior of headdress is painted silver. There are two plain ties on the back of the headdress.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Wu Sheng (marital male), with separate headdress. Head, torso and hands of puppet (part a) are carved from wood. Head and torso painted pink beige. Character has a wide nose, large ears and moveable eyes and mouth. The mouth is painted bright red with white teeth. Eyes are black-rimmed, eyebrows are painted black with sharp spikes in the middle. Back of head and area around ears painted black, imitating hair. He is wearing a plaid cap with metal buttons along the bottom edge. Long, black strands of hair are attached to the top of the cap. The character is wearing a sleeveless blue robe, with a front centre opening, secured with metal buttons, and two side slits. Yellow wavy ribbon trims arm holes and bottom edge, pink wavy ribbon trims collar. Curvilinear and geometric motifs around collar, arm holes and centre opening are done in silver and pink sequins. There are circular characters on either side of the front opening, and one on the centre back, done in gold sequins. The character is wearing a full sleeved plaid undergarment, matching the cap, beneath the robe. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to torso, and two more attached to each hand. Eyes and mouth are operated by a wooden rod inside of the central bamboo rod. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out and re-attached. Headdress (part b) is made of cardboard, with a metal frame, and is covered in painted fabric. Headdress consists of a tiara-like headband and cap. The tiara-like section has two tiers. The back tier is covered in green painted fabric, has a gently scalloped top edge trimmed with a wavy pink ribbon, and curvilinear attachments on either side. One yellow tassel hangs from the left curvilinear attachment. Paper, covered in written characters, attached to tassel. The front tier is covered in pink painted fabric and has triangular protrusions along the top edge, trimmed with a wavy dark pink ribbon. Both tiers are covered in sequins, beads and metal attachments. Sequins are coloured silver, dark blue, green, gold and red. Beads are coloured white and silver. Numerous protruding, curled wires with large light and dark pink pompons, are across the top of the front and back tiers. Cap portion of headdress is covered in light blue fabric with triangular protrusions all along the top edge. Painted green paper trims edges of protrusions. Same wire and pompom decorations are attached to the tips of the triangular protrusions. Back of cap has a green painted fabric covered section, trimmed with a wavy gold ribbon. Below it is a semi-circular attachment, covered in green fabric. It has a wavy black ribbon trim, red sequins and large silver buttons. The inner rim of the headdress is covered in red fabric, there are two plain ties on either end.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Xiao Chou (clown). Head and hands are carved from wood. Head is painted beige. Character has a thin nose, moveable eyes and large ears. The mouth is painted bright red, with circles on either side, and cheeks are rosy. Eyebrows are painted black and have curved spikes in the middle, eyes are black-rimmed. Area around ears and back of head is painted black, imitating hair. He has short black hair on top of his head. The character is wearing a plain dark blue robe, with two small side slits. Neckline is trimmed with a red band, which extends into small robe opening, secured with a tie, along left side of neck. The robe is secured at the wrists with wire. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to head, and two more attached to each hand. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out and filled with red fabric.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Xiao Chou (clown). Head, hands and torso carved from wood. Components painted pink beige. Character has a wide nose, large ears and moveable eyes and mouth. The mouth is painted dark red with white teeth, eyebrows are painted black and curved, tip of nose is painted white. Eyes are black-rimmed and area around ears and back of head is painted black, imitating hair. He has long black hair down the middle of his head. The character is wearing a white and dark blue robe, with extended sleeves that drape down. Robe has a left side opening, secured with ties, and a small right side slit. Side opening bordered with a plain mint green band, trimmed with small dark blue pompons. Cuffs and bottom edge of robe trimmed with a wavy and glittery pink ribbon. Robe has dark blue grid and cube motifs throughout, with floral and curvilinear motifs done in white. Interior of robe lined in dark grey. Characters, done in black, written on front interior of robe, towards left side. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to torso, and two more attached to each hand. Eyes and mouth are operated by a wooden rod, with metal attachment, inside of the central bamboo rod. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Xiao Chou (clown). Head and hands are carved from wood. Components painted pink beige. The puppet’s body is formed by a reed cage. Character has a wide nose, large ears and moveable eyes and mouth. The mouth is painted bright red, eyebrows are painted black and curved. Eyes are black-rimmed and area around ears and back of head is painted black, imitating hair. Red line painted across face, from left cheek to above right eye. He has short, spiked black hair on top of his head. The character is wearing a plain dark blue robe, with two small side slits. The robe has a small back opening, stitched closed, below the neck. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to reed cage, and two more attached to each hand. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out and re-attached.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Mei Po (matchmaker). Head and hands are carved from wood. Components painted pink beige. Character has a very small nose and large ears. The mouth is painted red, in a frown, eyebrows are feathery and painted black. Eyes are black-rimmed, cheeks are rosy and there are black and red dots across her face. She has black hair along the sides of her head, with a bald patch in the back. There is a wire curving over her head, attached behind the ears. The character is wearing a plain green robe, with extended sleeves that drape down. The robe has a left side opening, secured with metal buttons, and a small right side slit. Opening is bordered with a wide white band. Cuffs have red ribbon trim with gold and green floral motifs embroidered on them. The robe is lined with white material, with black square motifs throughout. She is wearing a short black undergarment. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to her head, and two more attached to each hand. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Xiao Dan (young girl), with separate headdress. Head and hands of puppet (part a) are carved from wood. Components painted pink beige. The puppet’s body is formed by a reed cage. Character has a small nose and large ears. The mouth is painted red, eyes are black-rimmed. Eyebrows are thin and black, and there is black paint along the back of the head and sides of the face, imitating hair. She has thick black hair in a low ponytail, secured with a pink tie. The character is wearing a green robe, with extended sleeves that drape down. The robe has three panels on the front, one panel on the back and a pink undergarment. Overtop, the character is wearing a matching green collar. The robe has a front opening, the collar has a back opening, the undergarment is open at the back. The collar has gold fringe along its bottom edge and is trimmed with wavy pink and gold borders. There are curvilinear motifs, done in pink and red sequins, across its surface. The robe is belted at the waist. The belt is made of paper and covered in ribbons, done in silver, white and red scallops and a pink floral. Belt ties at the back. The same scalloped ribbon borders the panel edges on the front of the robe, the same pink floral ribbon borders the cuffs. There are curvilinear motifs, done in pink, red and large silver sequins, across the entire front surface. Diamond-shaped pink rhinestones on left and right panels of robe. The back panel is undecorated. It has a pink and yellow border, and the edges have pink and dark green fringe. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to reed cage, and two more attached to each hand. Back of puppet’s head has been cut out. Headdress (part b) consists of a metal frame with rubber(?), covered in black fabric. A peacock is at the top centre. Its head is made of metal and covered in thick white string, the feathers are made of cardboard covered in red fabric. Peacock is decorated with silver and blue sequins with purple pompons along the top of the feathers. Main band of headdress has a green wavy border and floral motifs done in embroidery, beads and metal, tulle-like material and sequins. Flowers are coloured orange, white, yellow-green, pink, purple, green, gold and blue. There are two ties on either end of the headdress.

Rod puppet (zhàng tóu mù ǒu), representing the character Lao Sheng (old male), with a separate beard and headdress. Head and hands of puppet (part a) are carved from wood. Head and torso painted pink beige. Character has a long nose and ears. The mouth is painted dark red, eyes are black-rimmed. Eyebrows are black, streaked with silver, and there is black paint around the head, imitating hair. The character is wearing a green robe, with extended sleeves that drape down. The robe has a left side opening, secured with ties, and a small right side slit. The sides of the robe have pink panels. Curvilinear and geometric motifs across robe, done in silver, dark pink-purple, red and yellow sequins. Dragon(?) design in dark pink-purple and silver sequins on both front and back centre of robe. Plaid undergarment beneath robe. Character has a matching collar, that secures at the front, with white animal hair(?) along bottom edge. Collar has wavy ribbon borders done in white and light pink. There are curvilinear motifs in silver and dark pink-purple throughout. The puppet's head is hollow. Rim of hollow opening is unpainted. Puppet is operated by three bamboo rods- one large rod attached to his head, and two more are attached to each hand. Beard (part b) consists of long white fibre attached to a wire covered with string. Shaped to fit over ears and below mouth of puppet. Headdress (part c) is made of cardboard, with a metal frame, and is covered in light blue fabric. Headdress consists of a cap and backboard. The backboard is semi-circular, has green and yellow wavy ribbon borders and floral motifs done in silver and dark pink-purple sequins. The reverse of the backboard curves outwards, shaped by metal mesh, and has a floral motif done in silver and light blue sequins. Below is a solid band of light blue fabric with a curvilinear motif done in silver sequins. The cap component of the headdress, at the front, is shaped with metal mesh and has a large floral motif overtop of it. Motif done in gold glitter paint and silver and light blue sequins, with a green rhinestone at the centre. The bottom edge of the cap has a wavy green ribbon border and a band of silver sequins with yellow beads. There are two wing-like attachments at the back of the headdress. They are light blue, have no centre and the edges are lined with metal beads. Interior of headdress is painted silver. There are two red ties on either side of the headdress.