Poetry, kung fu, romance, treachery, greed, justice: it is all there in stories passed on from generation to generation, stories rich in tradition, stories about scholars, generals, warriors, beautiful ladies, sages, and clowns. We are not talking about epics, though we could be; nor are we talking about Chinese opera, though that too is possible; we are talking about the world of puppets, particularly hand puppets.
Who among us has not delighted in the antics and challenges of the lives of those small hand-held personages? Who among us has not, at one time or another, put his or her hand into the casing of a hand puppet and happily slipped into that world of fantasy?
Puppets have been a major source of entertainment and instruction in China for centuries. They have been an integral part of festivals, celebrations, and gatherings, especially in rural settings where life has not become so sophisticated that the imagination is lost. As each provincial township held its special festivals, puppets played in the afternoon and opera in the evening. But with the advent of TV, this art form was threatened with decline.
To enter the miniature world of puppets takes imagination; but once there, the smallest nuances take on special meaning and enrich the experience. Chuang Yen-yi , the puppet master of the Se Den Society, has been dedicated to this world for the past five or six years.
When he was a child, his father used to take him to numerous touring puppet shows; and he remembers, with joy, the sense of wonder and awe. As he grew older, he became concerned that the next generation might not be able to have such experiences. They would miss the atmosphere of this form of entertainment: the vendors, the spectacle, the interaction of the people as they celebrated together.
Chuang began as a researcher into the history of the theater, the typical puppet stories, their costumes, etc. Soon he became hooked, and now he lives and breathes puppets. It is his work of love. Like in many of the arts, there is little money to be made. Job satisfaction comes from the realization that one is creating an art form and passing on a tradition. This tradition is kept alive by dedicated artists whose values rest in their art. Li Tien-lu , the founder of the Yi Wan Jan troupe and Chuang's teacher, is in his eighties and still practicing. He is a fourth-generation puppeteer who began at the age of nine. His life is celebrated in a current-award winning film, "Life Is Like Drama and Dreams" .
Creating the Figures
Puppetry may seem a simple art form, but there are many details the puppet master must be aware of. First and foremost, he must creatively bridge the gap between the stage and reality for the audience. He must make the small cloth and ceramic figures involve us in the drama of their lives.
Each puppet master has the opportunity to create his own unique characters. Huang Hai-tai of the Wu Chou Yuan troupe from the south of Taiwan created Shi Yen-wen , a cavalier type of hero. He wrote scripts for 10 stage episodes, and his son Huang Chun-shiung continued the story with enough episodes to last months in serial form for TV. "We are not, of course, limited to characters of our own creation," states Huang. "A favorite now, in fact, is the monk Chi Kung ."
Usually six stock characters or roles are part of any story. There is the student or scholar, studying for exams like a master's or doctorate degree. This type of person is usually poor but honest. If he has passed the exams, of course, he will be quite rich. Second there is the beautiful girl or princess, one that may need to be rescued, but who could also have special talents.
"Mr. Clean," the name of one of Chuang's creations, has a face that does not reflect his title; this third type often has a bad temper and rough manners and can be a good antagonist to our scholar. This character can also be a villain. Then there are the old man, the clown, and the variety actor. The old man is usually good at heart, and he provides comic relief as he presents the older generation in its views on what is happening.
The clown or jester is never serious about life; he jokes with the best of them. He can sometimes be a waiter or a clerk in a store, while the variety puppet can be a ghost or monster or some creature with special talents and skills. On stage, he will usually be jumping around and doing special theatrical tricks.
Not all plays include all six characters, and some can include more. At any given moment two characters are normally on stage, but at times there may be as many as four. In this case the assistant will be holding the two other characters, but all four voices will be that of the master.
Giving Puppets Voices
"One mouth can tell 1,000 years of history," is a saying of the theater. Part of the challenge and creativity of the master is not only learning the motivation and gestures of the different characters but also giving each an appropriate voice. The puppeteer's voice changes rhythmically as he goes from the scholar reciting a classical poem to the chuckling clown who makes sport of him to the falsetto voice of the admiring lady.
Music is also a vital part of any puppet show; some say the play is 30% show and 70% background music. While the best performances are often accompanied by a live band with strings and other instruments responding creatively to the tempo of the action on stage, more and more groups are having to resort to taped music to meet the needs of the show. "In choosing the music," one puppeteer states, "one has to consider his own voice and how it will blend with the background music."
"In the past," adds Chuang, "live music was the traditional way to control the drama in the fights; but now modern techniques such as strobe lighting, smoke, and other special effects are used to increase the drama."
In the highly symbolic world of puppets, colors and makeup reveal the social status, age, and personality of the characters. The monkey in Journey to the West wears yellow; black is for bandits from the mountains. The good guy will have a peaceful look on his face and have a big forehead. The bad guy will have rat-like eyes, the narrow head of an insect, and a sharp mouth--features that automatically tell the audience who to root for and who not.
Future Generations
All puppeteers are concerned with future generations. One of the goals of the Se Den Society is the introduction of Taiwan traditional drama into the schools.
Currently, Chuang trains students with an interest in puppetry in their public schools. On occasion classes are held at the Se Den Society building in a lane off Wenchou Street. When he is not occupied with this, Chuang sings in Taiwanese opera and performs in the schools.
Each puppet master has a vast array of puppets to fill the many roles of the repertoire, and he treats each with reverential care. Hsiao Hsi Yuen , another master, refers to them this way: "When it is time for a performance, it is only the puppets and you. They are your partners on stage, an extension both literally and figuratively of your person-ality. You have to treat them like close friends."
Making of Puppets
The making of puppets is also an art, and their detail can be quite exquisite. Many of the masters go to mainland China to oversee the production. Each character is outfitted even to the small shoes on his or her feet. With this stress on individual features, a single puppet master may have as many as 200 puppets in stock to meet the theatrical demands of a season.
A master puppeteer "can make a dragon and tiger come alive." Moving puppets around is not as easy as it looks. Whenever the puppet walks across the stage, the head should be moving in rhythm with the walk. This is done by grasping the head with forefinger and thumb. (To the surprise of this viewer, the thumb is not stuck in one of the arms.) Another trick is to be able to toss the puppet into the air in a kung fu somersault and have it come down right on top of the hand.
Over 500 puppet troupes exist in Taiwan. The greatest danger they face is perhaps not a scarcity of budget or students, but audiences that have lost their sense of imagination; audiences whose minds are dulled by the non-challenging format of TV shows that they have lost the ability to relate to the drama of puppets. Some observers note with wonder, in fact, that the dedication of someone like Lee Tien-lu seems to be more recognized in France than in Taiwan.