Chinese Paper Puppets

This month's feature is a set of five, hand-painted Chinese paper puppets. The puppets are mounted on thin sticks and affixed to a red sheet of paper, and the set is numbered in the museum's collection as #1989.1508. There are four small, round reflective pieces that resemble mirrors incorporated into each puppet. The three figures shown in the center are known as the Sanxing ('Three Stars') and symbolize good fortune, longevity, status, and happiness. These icons, known as Shou, Lu, and Fu, are thought to date back to the Ming Dynasty. 

The three Sanxing puppets are arranged left-to-right. The first, Shou, is the god of longevity, shown as an old man with long ears and a long beard, but with a youthful face. He is the most popular of the three, and is commonly shown holding a stick of peach wood and a peach, since peaches represent immortality in China. The puppet Shou holds a peach wood staff with a carving at the end, a peach in his left hand, and a crane wraps behind him, another symbol of longevity. In the center is Fu, the god of wealth or luck, shown in red robes in the style of a state official. The puppet Fu is depicted with a scepter of flowers, used for blessings, and a bat beneath, since the Chinese character for bat (蝠) is pronounced similar to Fu (福). Finally, Lu, the god of status, is shown in the robes of a ministerial vice director. He is commonly depicted holding a baby boy, since boys had the opportunity to bring status to their families in the civil service system. The deer behind him serves as a visual pun, since 祿 ("status") and 鹿 ("deer") are homophones. 

The remaining puppets serve as decoration to complete the set of five puppets, representing the Five Blessings, or wufu (五福). Every puppet has more symbols incorporated than mentioned here, so we encourage you to take some time to pick out other characters or figures in the images and discover more about this set!  

We hope that you enjoyed this peek at our collection! We'll be back next month with another artifact. Have a great April!