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When pipa meets puppetry

chinadaily.com.cn| Updated: Jul 9, 2019

A special concert combining pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute) performance and puppetry took place in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on July 7.

The script of the puppet show was written by Chen Yuqi, a young pipa artist in Xiamen, based on the Typhoon Meranti which struck Xiamen in 2016. She also played the main pipa accompaniment.

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Chen Yuqi plays pipa during the puppet show, July 7. [Photo/people.cn]

Chen brought the puppet shows from rural open stages into the concert hall. She opened the concert with gong and drum, and then played pipa instead of the traditional puppet band.

"Puppets are exquisite works of art, and puppetry is an artistic and cultural treasure of southern Fujian,” said Chen. "I believe that puppetry will definitely return to the public view as long as more efforts are made to preserve it."

Fujian puppetry joined the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

In addition to puppetry, the concert also included music performed by traditional Chinese instruments.

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Children look at the puppets after the concert, July 7. [Photo/people.cn]