Latest Events in Quanzhou(May Updated)

Attraction introduction Quanzhou Marionette Show is located in Wudianshi, an AAAA-level Attraction. Wudianshi has a thousand-year history and is the origin of Jinjiang City. The red brick buildings with southern Fujian characteristics span the Ming, Qing and Republic of China periods. Wudianshi has produced 11 champions in history. During the Wanli period, Zhuang Jichang was the champion of the same subject as Yuan Chonghuan. The champion Wang Zeng, a descendant of the King of Fujian who lived in Quanzhou for generations, won three consecutive championships (first place in the first, provincial and palace examinations). It has also produced more than 1,400 Jinshi scholars, making it an outstanding representative of southern Fujian's humanities, history, art, architecture and customs. As the treasure of southern Fujian art, puppetry has not only become an indispensable part of the folk customs of Quanzhou and the entire southern Fujian region for thousands of years, but also has become a popular opera art that is appreciated by the general public and even scholars and literati with its unique skills and wonderful performances. Introduction to Quanzhou Marionette Show Quanzhou string puppetry, also known as suspended puppetry in ancient times, originated from the Qin and Han dynasties. According to historical records, it was already popular in Quanzhou and Souvenir areas at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties at the latest. It has been passed down through the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties and even today. The traditional repertoire of Quanzhou string puppetry preserves a large number of folk beliefs and customs of weddings, funerals, and celebrations in the ancient Minnan dialect area. It preserves a large number of grammars, vocabulary, and ancient pronunciations of the "ancient Heluo language" and Minnan dialect. It preserves many precious materials on the repertoires, music, and performance forms of Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and has multidisciplinary research value. For thousands of years, Quanzhou string puppetry has not only coexisted with the life customs of birth, aging, illness, and death of the people in the Minnan dialect area. On May 20, 2006, puppet show (Quanzhou Marionette Show) was approved by the State Council of the People's Republic of China to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. Heritage number: IV-92. In December 2012, the "Fujian Puppet Show Talent Training Program", including Quanzhou String Puppet Show, was successfully selected into the List of Outstanding Practices of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. History of Quanzhou Marionette Show Early stage It is said that when Wang Shenzhi came to Fujian and proclaimed himself king in present-day Fuzhou at the end of the Tang Dynasty, he built a large palace and hired many famous scholars and students from Zhongzhou. They brought puppet shows and placed them in the palace for entertainment. Puppet shows were then introduced to Quanzhou, so the dialogues of "Jia Li Opera" have a Zhongzhou accent. By the Song Dynasty, "Jiali Opera" had been widely spread among the people of Quanzhou. In the Ming Dynasty, Quanzhou puppetry was further combined with folk rituals and developed greatly. Li Tingji of Quanzhou in the Ming Dynasty once wrote a couplet for puppetry: "Driving thousands of miles away in an instant, the affairs of the past and present are completed in one night." It can be seen that the puppetry at that time was rich in content and wide in subject matter, and had the ability to express thousands of miles and encompass the past and present. Mid-term During the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty, Quanzhou's "Jiali" opera had become very mature, breaking away from the "puppet show" form of fragmentary and acrobatic performances and forming a standardized script system, which could perform large-scale and complex historical dramas. Although there are only 36 fixed characters, the roles are divided into four categories: Sheng, Dan, Bei, and Za, and 42 major dramas can be performed. For example, the traditional continuous script "Mulian Saves His Mother" can be performed for seven days and seven nights. Later In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, there were more than 50 puppet troupes in Quanzhou, covering the urban and rural areas. The "four major temples" in Quanzhou, including Dongyue Temple, Guandi Temple, Yuanmiao Temple, and Chenghuang Temple, all had fixed troupes to perform for praying to the gods. Lin Chengchi, known as the "talented scholar of Jiali", once created "Shuo Yue" and "Water Margin" and other serial plays with the literati Yang Xiumei, thus taking puppetry out of the circle that only serves weddings and funerals. Lin Chengchi, Lian Tianzhang and others also created and improved many performing arts techniques, such as drawing swords, inserting swords, playing with snakes, umbrella dance, weaving, playing with cymbals, etc., which greatly enriched the performing arts of string puppetry.

From November 29th to December 1st, an unprecedented food culture feast will be grandly opened in Quanzhou! This event is not only a carnival of food, but also Quanzhou’s application to become the “World Food Capital” This is an important measure to use food as a link to showcase the profoundness of Chinese food culture, promote Quanzhou food to the world stage, and let diners around the world appreciate Quanzhou's unique food charm and feel the inheritance and innovation of Maritime Silk Road culture in food!

"Little Bird" never stops. Zhao Chuan sings rock classics again For rock fans, the name "Zhao Chuan" not only represents the eternal classics in their hearts, but also symbolizes the legend of an era! Since his debut in 1988, Zhao Chuan has released about 14 albums and sung hundreds of popular songs. In 1992, he won the Best Mandarin Male Singer Award at the China Taiwan Golden Melody Awards for his album "I'm a Little Bird". In 2018, he won the Outstanding Contribution Award for Chinese Music at the Chinese Golden Melody Awards... Zhao Chuan, like the "little bird" in his singing, flies farther and farther on the road of music and reaps fruitful results. Zhao Chuan has always used the microphone as a link to convey his own emotions, and uses his singing to share his inner world with the audience. His story-filled music works have won the favor of many rock fans and have become the entry-level introductory course for many young people to listen to rock music. He is a well-deserved legend in the Chinese rock music scene! Although he has been singing "tough" rock music, you can always hear a kind of softness in his works. "I'm a Little Bird", "I'm Ugly But Gentle", "How to Say Love", "I Finally Lost You"... The lyrics are sincere and the tunes are heartfelt. He uses his high-pitched and hoarse voice to trigger the deepest resonance in the hearts of the public, and uses music to accompany people through those loneliness. After more than 30 years of debut, Zhao Chuan still maintains his love for music, singing the warmth and coldness of the world in the world, and encouraging fans to face life gently. In 2024, Zhao Chuan's "To All Those Who Know My Name" tour will start anew, with an upgraded song list and a new arrangement. He will use his unique musical style and superb singing skills to bring fans a soul-stirring audio-visual feast. More surprises, wait and see!