Members of the Sanxiang Puppet Association are rehearsing.[Photo by Li Xusheng]

The puppet show entitled "Capturing the Flying Duck Alive" was put on the stage on the night of April 22 at the Sanxiang Sports and Arts Activity Center. The show was written by Miao Wensen, renowned playwright in Zhongshan. Embedded with traditional Cantonese folk songs like "Bu Bu Gao", it aims to present the history in the form of puppet show.

Zhang Huasen, leader of the performance team, is a native of Sanxiang Town, Zhongshan City. Ten years after his graduation from university, the 37-year-old plunged into the protection and development of the city's local culture. Occasionally, he came across some valuable materials recording Sanxiang puppet show, which had disappeared for half a century.

In that case, Zhang decided to inherit the endangered cultural heritage. He not only looked about different historical materials, but also paid repeated visits to Zhanjiang and Maoming cities to look for puppet makers and folk performers. When facing financial matter, Zhang also turned to government departments for support.

Finally, the Sanxiang Puppet Association was founded on July 7, 2018, with strong support from the Sanxiang Publicity, Sports and Arts Center and other departments, .

Presently, most members of the association are young people who were born in the 1980s and 1990s. Discovering personal values is the motivation that supports them to keep performing puppet show, Zhang said.

"As a traditional opera, puppet show can only reach limited viewers. It requires art skills and methods to expose puppet show to a wider public. Therefore, we always choose current affairs as the theme of the shows to make the performances more appealing and closer to ordinary people," Zhang Huasen said.

Since its foundation, the Sanxiang Puppet Association has engaged in more than 20 performances and received praise from relevant units and individuals for its sophisticated skills and vivid presentation.