NANJING, May 20 -- Kunqu, with a history of hundreds of years, is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intangible cultural heritage in 2001. In Qidu Town of Suzhou, there is a unique form of Kunqu Opera called "Kunqu Puppet" which features actors presenting performance with puppets on the stage.
Sun Jing (R) and Shi Jinfang rehearse at a dance room in Qidu Town, Wujiang district of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Sun Jing (L) and Shi Jinfang perform puppet play of Kunqu Opera in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2023.(Xinhua/Yang Lei)
In order to inherit the traditional "Kunqu Puppet", Sun Jing, Shi Jinfang and Shi Xiaoming were selected by local authority to study Kunqu Opera performance in an opera school while they were still middle school students in 2004.
Sun Jing (R) and Shi Jinfang rehearse puppet play of Kunqu Opera at a park in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Sun Jing (R) and Shi Jinfang perform puppet play of Kunqu Opera for children at a kindergarten in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 20, 2023.(Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Sun Jing (R) and Shi Jinfang rehearse puppet play of Kunqu Opera at a park in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Sun Jing and Shi Jinfang rehearse puppet play of Kunqu Opera at a park in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
At the opera school, they first learned the art of Kunqu Opera performance before moving on to puppet handling. After graduating in 2009, they began to perform "Kunqu Puppet" at the cultural station in Qidu Town and have performed over 280 puppet plays of Kunqu Opera for more than 70,000 spectators so far.
Sun Jing (L) and Shi Jinfang perform puppet play of Kunqu Opera in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Children interact with puppets at a kindergarten in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Sun Jing and Shi Jinfang perform puppet play of Kunqu Opera in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
"Due to a shortage of manpower, some traditional plays can no longer be performed," Sun Jing said, "and our goal is to establish a demonstration base for this old art form to attract young people to know and learn about the traditional culture."
Sun Jing (L, front) and Shi Jinfang perform puppet play of Kunqu Opera in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
Shi Xiaoming (L) and Shi Jinfang arrange puppets in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Sun Jing (C), Shi Xiaoming (R) and Shi Jinfang pose for a group photo after rehearsal in Qidu Town, Wujiang District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 19, 2023.
