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The origins of chinese puppetry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

William Dolby
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Extract

Puppetry in China has a long history. The modern remnants of a rich tradition testify to the wealth that was, and the art is being revived in various ways, and given new forms. Although there is more early literature and specific comment in ancient books on ancient Chinese puppets than there is for any other kind of puppetry in its early days, it is not absolutely clear when they originated. The words nearly always used to refer to puppets are mu-ou-hsi ‘wooden doll plays’ and k'uei-lei-tzu, k'u-lei-tzu, k'uei-lei, or k'uei-lei-hsi. The original meaning of the latter terms is tantalizingly elusive, but the k'u might possibly suggest a hole or aperture within which they were performed. These are historically the most common words used. The earliest mention of any of the terms is found in Feng-su t'ung by Ying Shao (fl. c.a.d. 178), but the origins of puppetry may either lie much before or after that book.

Type
Articles
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , February 1978 , pp. 97 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1978

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References

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