Artists diligently preserve the only dry puppet heritage in Hanoi

Unlike water puppetry which must be performed in water pavilions, land puppetry can be performed anywhere. (Photo: Huong Ly/Vietnam+)

According to the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports , Te Tieu puppetry troupe (My Duc district, Hanoi) is the only place that still preserves the art of dry puppetry and tuong puppetry - a unique and rich performing art form.

Despite its unique folk art value, Te Tieu puppetry cannot avoid the risk of being lost over time. Therefore, in order for the puppets to sing and sing, we need artisans like Pham Cong Bang - one of the youngest outstanding artisans in Vietnam.

Tradition passed down through generations

Born in the Le Trung Hung period, Te Tieu dry puppetry has absorbed and preserved many cultural features and lifestyles typical of the Northern Delta region. Thanks to its unique artistic values, in 2021, Te Tieu dry puppetry performance art was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Since childhood, artisan Pham Cong Bang (born in 1976) has been familiar with the art of dry puppetry. He soon felt the magic of each wooden puppet thanks to growing up performing with his father - artisan Pham Van Be. Mr. Be himself also learned the craft from artisan Le Dang Nhuong of the village, who has contributed to preserving the art of dry puppetry in Te Tieu village to this day. For Mr. Bang, preserving the craft therefore holds great value, both as a passion and a responsibility.

In 2001, Mr. Bang and his father built a water puppet theater - a stage for both dry and water puppetry - in his hometown, turning it into a miniature stage where locals and tourists can enjoy performances imbued with national identity.

Coming from a family of artisans, with his father being the famous artisan Pham Van Be, Mr. Bang is always concerned with preserving and passing on his craft. (Photo: Huong Ly/Vietnam+)

According to the artist, Te Tieu puppets are usually carved from xoan wood, sung wood or other light, easy-to-craft woods so that they do not crack over time. When carved, the wood still needs to be kept moist to make it easy to shape, then dried naturally before painting and drawing patterns. These steps require patience and meticulousness to create characters with distinct expressions.

Not only stopping at the shape, in order for the puppet to be able to move flexibly, the artisans must carefully research the joint system and control techniques. "A good puppet is not only beautiful in form but also has to have soul through movement and expression. If the operator is not skillful enough, the puppet will lose its vitality and will not convey the spirit of the play," Mr. Bang shared.

These are characters such as the old teacher, mandarin, farmer, rich man, or the familiar village teacher; the puppet play "Thạch Sanh chops the Python Spirit" has a profound meaning about the spirit of justice, courage and victory of good over evil, or the play "The game of milling rice, pounding rice, plowing, harrowing" tells about the hard working life but full of humanity of the farmers...

The puppet characters have funny and charming appearances, wearing bright colors, full of folklore (Photo: Huong Ly/Vietnam+)

Not only knowing the stories his father told him, artist Pham Cong Bang also created his own scripts, created puppet images and inspired his peers to join in the performances. Thus, his love for puppetry grew, becoming a bond that connected him to the traditional art of his homeland.

Artisan Pham Cong Bang emphasized that each play is not simply entertainment, but also contains profound philosophies of life. "Puppetry not only tells stories, but also reflects life, bringing moral and humane lessons through each play, helping viewers feel the value of traditional culture," said the artist.

With his extensive experience and tireless contributions, in 2019, he was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by Hanoi City, becoming one of the young Meritorious Artists of Vietnam, at the age of 43.

Preserve to develop the essence

Currently, the puppet troupe led by Meritorious Artist Pham Cong Bang is the last family puppet troupe in Te Tieu village, with 18 members. The remuneration from performing is not much, so in order to stabilize their lives, the members of the puppet troupe must have their own profession to earn a living.

But despite being busy making a living, the members of the troupe still work hard “farming during the day and performing puppetry at night,” persistently preserving a heritage that is facing the challenges of the times. The same goes for Mr. Bang. The job of repairing electronics and loudspeakers not only helps him stabilize his family’s economy but also supports the puppetry performances.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, the artist's wife, said she used to disagree with her husband. "When I saw my husband doing business, repairing electronic devices, and performing puppetry at festivals all the time, and spending his own money to do it, even selling the family's old motorbike to pay for the trips, I objected a lot. Later, when I understood the meaning of preserving the traditional craft of my family and hometown, I encouraged him more and felt secure in sticking with the profession."

For Meritorious Artisan Pham Cong Bang, the job of repairing electronics and loudspeakers plays a big role and complements the Te Tieu puppet shows (Photo: NVCC)

Nowadays, in addition to preservation, Te Tieu puppetry troupe is actively bringing dry puppetry closer to the younger generation. With the support of the locality, they regularly participate in seminars at schools, perform at district and provincial conferences, village festivals, cultural weeks of Huong Pagoda festival, etc. to help generations and everyone understand more about this traditional art form, arousing pride in the heritage left by their ancestors.

“As society develops and changes, we must also change so that puppets can survive in the modern era. So recently, in addition to classic historical plays, we have created new modern plays that are closer to life and more accessible to the younger generation. At the same time, through the plays, we aim to criticize bad habits, promote good examples, and convey educational messages to young people,” said artisan Pham Cong Bang.

The Te Tieu Puppetry Museum is being gradually completed, with the aim of becoming a destination that gathers the quintessence of the profession. (Photo: Huong Ly/Vietnam+)

Currently, the project to build the Te Tieu Dry Puppetry Museum is gradually being completed, expected to be inaugurated in June 2025, where visitors can admire the puppet making process, experience the performance space and interact directly with the artisans. The museum not only preserves dry puppetry but also introduces traditional Vietnamese puppetry, contributing to promoting cultural heritage.

Combined with nearby tourist attractions such as Huong Son, Quan Son, Tuy Lai... this place is expected to create momentum for Te Tieu dry puppetry to continue to develop sustainably.

Traditional art can only truly survive when there are people who preserve and continue it. And artist Pham Cong Bang and members of the Te Tieu puppetry troupe, with their intense love and perseverance, are making every effort to make their homeland’s heritage shine on domestic and international stages.

There are currently six puppetry heritages in Hanoi, of which five are water puppetry heritages, including Dao Thuc village water puppetry (Thuy Lam commune, Dong Anh district), Sai Son village water puppetry (Sai ​​Son commune, Quoc Oai district), Ra village water puppetry (Binh Phu commune), Yen village water puppetry (Thach Xa commune) and Chang Son village water puppetry (Chang Son commune, Thach That district). Te Tieu puppetry troupe (Dai Nghia town, My Duc district) preserves both dry and water puppetry.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nghe-nhan-miet-mai-giu-di-san-roi-can-duy-nhat-tren-dat-ha-thanh-post1023335.vnp