Zhoushan glove puppet shows enjoy a history of more than 150 years and are said to have originated in Ningbo, Zhejiang. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]

Zhoushan glove puppet shows will be held at the Zhoushan Culture Center in Zhoushan, an island city in East China's Zhejiang province, from Aug 14 to 15, according to local media reports.

Performances:

Aug 14 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm: Ge Yunfei's Treasure Sword Song and Gun Fired at the British Ships by Hou Xialing and Hou Yafei.

Aug 15 from 2 pm to 3:30 pm: Uproar in Dragon King's Palace by Pan Weiqing and Shu Caifei.

Background information:

Zhoushan glove puppet shows enjoy a history of more than 150 years and are said to have originated in Ningbo, Zhejiang. The shows have formed their own unique style by integrating local dialects, operas, and folk tunes.

Such shows are quite popular among Zhoushan residents, and in the 1940s, puppetry troupes wandered the streets of Zhoushan in seach of places to perform.

In 1959, more than 40 Zhoushan glove puppet performers joined the Zhoushan Art Troupe and establishd the Dongsheng Puppetry Troupe. In 1965, the troupe started performing at fixed locations.

In its heyday, Zhoushan housed more than 20 puppetry troupes with nearly 80 performers, who could perform over 40 different plays.

Today, puppetry troupes in Dinghai, Putuo, and Xincheng districts, Daishan county still put on performances.

In 2003, the Zhoushan glove puppet show was shortlisted as a Zhejiang folk art protection item, and six years later, it was added to Zhejiang's list of intangible cultural heritage items.

Zhoushan puppetry troupes used to perform at random locations. [Photo/WeChat account: zsqdly]