If you had told Tchaikovsky that his ballet Swan Lake would one day be played by puppets, he might have asked you if your nose had always been that long. The answer should have been affirmative, as the China Puppet Art Troupe have now adapted this Russian ballet into a puppet performance, to be played from August 11th to15th at the Poly Theatre.

Chinese puppetry, known as mu'ouxi (play of wooden dolls), originated in the Han Dynasty before subsequently flourishing during the Tang and Song dynasties. With a history of over 1,000 years, Chinese puppetry combines elements of song, dance, painting and sculpture. Much of its material comes from the same kind of folk songs that have influenced Peking Opera, an art form it further resembles in that it has a visual impact that can be enjoyed even by those who don't understand Chinese.

Traditionally, the puppets come in three forms: the rod-top puppet, the marionette and the glove puppet. Each has its own artistic characteristics.

The rod-top puppet, less than a meter tall, should be designed to appear as lifelike as possible.  The puppeteer holds a stick in one hand which is used to raise the puppet, and wire rods in another hand which are used to manipulate its movements.

The marionette appears on stage in full view of the audience.  It is of a more complicated structure, with the head, shoulders, waist, hands and feet all jointed, movable and controlled by separate wires. During the performance, it is controlled by a puppeteer working from a concealed operating bridge high above the performance.

The glove puppet is known as the "bag puppet" in China, and at about 20 cm long is the smallest of the puppets. The puppeteer's hand is placed directly inside the puppet, making control fairly self explanatory.  It may be made from solid materials such as wood or from more pliable materials such as latex. The hand puppet is an invalid who is unable to walk alone, as he generally only possesses limply hanging stuffed legs.

The modern puppet show "Swan Lake" uses both rod-top puppets and hand puppets. "This puppet show mainly uses the rod-top puppet," says Zhou Jingqiu, Deputy Director of the China Puppet Art Troupe, "but there are also some 'advanced' hand puppets."

The "advanced" hand puppets mentioned by Zhou Jingqiu are much bigger than the traditional ones, and borrow some of the characteristics previously unique to the rod-top puppet. These advanced hand puppets serve as elaborate stage props; props which can move and even have their own emotions, despite appearing in the form of flowers, grass, stones, or trees.

Zhou Jingqiu said: "In this play, scenery is puppet and puppet is also scenery. The essence of the puppet is its maneuverability, so we make use of this basic characteristic as much as we can. There are only 16 puppeteers in the play and they have to play 60 puppets onstage. We have 30 flower puppets, which are ‘advanced' hand puppets. The flowers will blossom when the princess comes, and fade when meeting the evil wizard. They can also sing together with the princess. In addition, we have arranged a tree puppet and two stone puppets to help the prince fight against the bad wizard. Every puppet in this play has its own emotions, such as love or hatred."

This innovation was used to great effect when the puppet show "Swan Lake" made its debut in Beijing and Shenzhen last year. When the princess was harassed onstage by the evil wizard, some children in the audience were even moved to cry out in horror.

The writers and the directors of this puppet play have also done a lot of work on the music in the show. They have used Tchaikovsky by adapting some of his works so that children can easily learn them and sing-a-long during the show. This gives children a feisty introduction to classical music, a subject with a somewhat fusty reputation amongst youngsters.

The China Puppet Art Troupe has carried out numerous artistic experiments in recent years. They have adapted many foreign fairy tales, such as the Little Mermaid, Pinocchio and the Wizard of OZ, all of which received a warm response from teenagers and children. The company has established its own "Little Star Theater" and performs there continuously throughout the year. The "Little Puppet Club" has attracted more than 2,000 children members. They often participate in various kinds of activities held in the theater and have become a faithful core audience. But even more importantly, by claiming to accompany these children, adults now have the perfect excuse for seeing these plays themselves. 

(CRI July 24, 2004)