Puppetry in China has a long history. The modern remnants of a rich tradition testify to the wealth that was, and the art is being revived in various ways, and given new forms. Although there is more early literature and specific comment in ancient books on ancient Chinese puppets than there is for any other kind of puppetry in its early days, it is not absolutely clear when they originated. The words nearly always used to refer to puppets aremu-ou-hsi ‘wooden doll plays’ andk'uei-lei-tzu,k'u-lei-tzu,k'uei-lei, ork'uei-lei-hsi. The original meaning of the latter terms is tantalizingly elusive, but thek'u might possibly suggest a hole or aperture within which they were performed. These are historically the most common words used. The earliest mention of any of the terms is found inFeng-su t'ung by Ying Shao (fl. c.a.d. 178), but the origins of puppetry may either lie much before or after that book.

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⁶ SeeLi-chi, vol.1, ch. 4Google Scholar (‘T'an-kwng’, pt. 2), p. 7a.

⁷ SeeFeng-su t'ung by Ying Shao, as quoted inCh'üan Hou Han-u'en by Yen K'e-chün (1762–1843), as found inK'ai-ti,Sun,K'uei-lei-hsi k'ao-yüan, p.4.Google Scholar

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¹⁵ SeeFeng-su t'ung by Ying Shao, as quoted inT'ai-p'ing yü-lan, ch. 552, p.3a.Google Scholar

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²⁸ FromChiu T'ang-shu, ch. 29, p.8b.Google Scholar

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