Mr. Feng, deputy head of Yangzhou Puppet Troupe, is from Taixing. When I asked why I embarked on this puppet road? He said that there was a puppet troupe in his village, and since the monitor was a relative of his family, he liked puppets since he was a child. Finally, after graduating from high school, he was admitted to the Puppet Troupe.
It is said that the Sujia team was the most famous in Taixing that year. Up to today, there are still active folk puppet groups in rural Taixing, such as Zhang Jiecheng Puppet Troupe in Taiping Village, huangqiao town, and Zhang Yubao Puppet Troupe in Shaobulin, Nansha Town, all of which are folk artists handed down from generation to generation.
Today, as the only national first-class actor in the troupe, Mr. Feng is full of respect for those folk puppet artists. He said that those Taixing folk artists are ingenious, not only can perform puppets, but also have exquisite craftsmanship. Including puppet costumes, are all designed by themselves and sewn by rural tailors. In the history of Taixing Zhangtou Puppet, there are two schools of "Idol" and "Portrait", each with its own specialty in modeling and performance. "Idol" has a square head and big ears, which is rough and vivid; The Portrait is exquisite and realistic, close to the real person. Mr. Feng, 56, summed up the three historical stages of making Zhangtou puppets in Taixing: first, individual artists: engaged in simple carving and copying folk puppets; Second, family workshop: the composite production of wood carving and clay sculpture; Third, the production team: mainly artistic creation, with a relatively complete category. According to him, the troupe now has a production team of more than 20 people. Among them, there are six old puppeteers, all in their sixties and seventies, and the oldest is in his eighties. This team not only performs for the troupe, but also processes orders for many puppet troupes all over the country, which has achieved good economic benefits every year, which also illustrates a simple truth: art is valuable.
In August 2005, with the official approval of the state, Taixing puppet show was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.