chinese puppet theartre

摘要

Tossing a puppet into the air to perform asomersault, the puppeteer sings at the topof his melodious voice, accompanied by thehigh-pitched clapping of cymbals and theresounding striking of drums backstage.Unfortunately, the response to this unusualstreet-side performance at a temple in theheartlands of Singapore is met with eitherfurrowed eyebrows or blank looks, oryoung people hurrying past an unwelcomeobstruction, their eyes averted or glued totheir mobile phones. Such a scene wouldhave been unthinkable half a century agowhen Chinese puppet theatre in Singaporewas a popular form of street entertainmentfor children and the working class.