The puppet show on Quanzhou West Street is mainly the Jinjiang glove puppet show. That is, the Jinjiang glove puppet show, not the marionette show. Jinjiang glove puppet show is a local traditional drama in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province. It is one of the national intangible cultural heritages. That is, the southern glove puppet show and palm puppet show in Quanzhou area. In Taiwan, China, it is called Nanguan glove puppet show.
In July 1951, the southern glove puppet show was named palm puppet show. It is a rare genre of Chinese puppet shows. The southern glove puppet show is popular in southern Fujian. Its origin can be traced back to historical records of the Jin Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, and the Southern Song Dynasty. From the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty was the period of the rise and development of the southern glove puppet show. According to folk legends and the ‘General Records of Taiwan’, the glove puppet show rose in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. The founder was later known as Liang Binglin, who was known as the ‘champion of drama’. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the glove puppet shows in Jinjiang and other places flourished and spread to Taiwan. At the same time, artists such as Li Kecha emerged. In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, some glove puppet troupes in various counties under Quanzhou sprang up one after another, such as the ‘Five Tigers Troupe’ in southern Fujian during the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods. During the period of the Republic of China, glove puppet troupes in Anxi, Hui’an and other places almost spread all over the county. The Jinjiang glove puppet show has a unique artistic style. The roles are divided in detail. The carved puppet heads are both in form and spirit. The performance is delicate and the movements are vivid.The opening hours are from 10:30 to 22:00 all year round.
