(VOVworld)- Water puppetry is a unique art that originated in Vietnam’s wet rice civilization. Along with traditional theaters like Tuong and Cheo, water puppetry has raised its role on the traditional stages that need to be preserved. Puppeteer Phan Thanh Liem has become the vanguard in preserving and promoting this folk art after opening a stage for water puppetry performances in his house.
Situated in a small alley in Kham Thien street in Hanoi, Phan Thanh Liem’s water puppetry stage has become popular among tourists in recent years. In his 4-storey house, Liem dedicates the 30 square meter fourth floor to staging water puppetry shows. The mini stage is decorated with artificial banyan trees, bamboo trees and a wharf. The small room can accommodate an audience of 15. Each of Liem’s shows lasts 30 minutes and treat the audience stories that include lion dances, buffalo fighting, rice farming and boat racing. Audiences not only get to watch the show but are also encouraged to handle the puppets. Liem says: “Both foreign and domestic visitors are interested in learning about the traditional folk art of water puppetry. I hope to preserve and promote this art and I opened this stage so I could perform water puppetry more often. I perform every day. Audiences not only watch the show but also get a chance to explore the art”.

“I’m very interested in this show because I can watch many performances in such a tiny place. Because I don’t have much time to go to a puppetry theater and I don’t like noise and crowds, this puppetry stage is ideal for me”, said Mai Thi Hai Ha, a visitor.

Born into a family with a tradition of performing water puppetry in Nam Dinh province, Liem acquired a passion for this folk art in his childhood. His father, artist Phan Van Ngai was the author of many water puppetry plays in many water puppetry theaters. It was Mr. Ngai who restored the character Uncle Teu and headed Vietnam’s first water puppetry art troupe. But it was Liem who created a mini stage for water puppetry and took his solo performances to several countries outside Vietnam. Liem says: “I fell in love with the art when I was small. When I grew up, I created a miniature water puppetry stage to introduce the art to audiences, especially school children, in remote areas that are hard to access. I have also introduced water puppetry abroad. I have tried to improve the stage for easier transport during performance tours abroad”.

Overseas performance tours have given Liem a lot of unforgettable memories. People often ask him for his signature and express their excitement at seeing puppetry for the first time. The audience’s love has inspired Liem even more. “On our tours of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Europe, I found that foreigners warmly welcome our water puppetry. They like the traditional art very much. They say it’s unique. It’s special because it uses water as a stage. Introducing water puppetry to foreigners is a way to help them understand Vietnamese culture”, said Liem.

On top of performing traditional puppetry plays, Thanh Liem has written skits on traffic safety to perform in schools. He says by this way, pupils and students are introduced to traffic laws and water puppetry at the same time.

Bui Hang