Celebrating Children’s Day: Shanghai Puppet Theatre

Children’s Day is internationally celebrated on June 1. As this date draws closers, the China Cultural Center in Brussels is sharing some puppetry videos from the Shanghai Puppet Theatre in honor of Children’s Day.

Founded on June 1, 1960, the troupe’s mission is to bring fun to children’s life. The Shanghai Puppet Theatre has since made many popular productions. Today, we take a look at “The Toad and the Geese” and “Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf”. The puppets are made using traditional Chinese paper-folding techniques.

“The Toad and the Geese” is about a pair of geese who are loving parents to four eggs near a lotus pond. How does the toad come into play then? Watch here to see how the story unfolds.

“Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf” is based on a well-known Chinese fable, telling the story of the kind scholar Mr. Dongguo. He helps the wolf, but almost gets eaten.

“Red Silk Dance” is a wonderful performance, showing that puppetry can also convey emotions. This piece is based on the legendary story of “Butterfly Lovers”.

“Forbidden City” is a puppet mini-play from 1990. This entertaining performance showcases traditional puppetry skills and pays special attention to character building.

“Lion Dance” is the puppetry counterpart of this traditional folk art. Lion dances are crossovers between martial arts and dance, beautifully brought to life in this joyful performance.