num_pages: 250
description: Plowright (Oriental drama, London U.) travelled to Quanzhou in the Fujian Province of China in 1994 to research the connection between the movements of human actors and string puppets. She became entranced with carvings of 24 birdwomen in the local Grand Buddha Hall, tracked down the significance and history of the figures, and incorporated them into her study. She covers an ancient tale of feminine power preserved in Southeast Asian theater, the birdwoman and the puppet king, puppet dominance in Chinese thought and the art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, in search of Lady Joruri, the Indian and Buddhist origin of the image of the string puppet and its role in Chinese theater, and western attitudes to puppets. The text is double spaced. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
language: English
title: Mediums, Puppets, and the Human Actor in the Theatres of the East
titlecomplete: Mediums, Puppets, and the Human Actor in the Theatres of the East (Mellen Studies in Puppetry, V. 2)
publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr