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Handcrafted Classical Hand Puppet--Jiang Ziya (CoHP05)

Jiang Ziyai, a household name in China, resided

about 3,000 years ago.   Jiang Ziya aided King Wen

and his son in their overthrow of the Shang Dynasty;

they established the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC to 256 BC)

in its stead. He became the prime minister for the

first Zhou emperor and his loyalty and farsightedness

in governing spread his fame throughout China.  His

treatise on military strategy, Six Secret Teachings,

is considered one of the Seven Military Classics of

Ancient China.

Aim for an attention-getting look with these divine

hand crafted puppets outfitted with

elegantly embroidered Chinese ancient warrior costumes. 

Gracious and stunning, the classical hand puppet

makes a gracious family heirloom. You'll fall in love

with the gorgeous craftsmanship of this one-of-a-kind collectible.

Other details of the classical hand puppet include:

hands and feet: made of plastic;

costume: made of silk/rayon

(exclusive of decorations) with dragon embroidery

Hand puppetry, also known as Cloth Bag Opera (called budai mu'ouxi in Chinese) is a type of

local opera using cloth puppets that originated during the 17th century in China's Fujian province,

and has been historically practiced in Guangdong, Taiwan, and other parts of southern China. 

The puppet's head uses wood carved into the shape of a hollow human head, the puppet's torso

and limbs consist entirely of cloth costumes. At the time of the performance, a master puppeteer

enters one hand into the puppet's costume and makes it perform.  In previous years the puppets

used in this type of performance strongly resembled "cloth sacks," hence the name, which

literally means "cloth bag opera." 

Today, not only the opera is popular in China, but also the making of the puppet, including

the delicate face painting and the beautiful embroidery of costumes becomes a unique and

elegant folk art.

Our Price: US$47.95