The article investigates the god of opera called Marshal Tian in South China. It argues that Marshal Tian originates simply from a wooden puppet. The puppet is in the form of a baby. The puppet show proves to be the b...The article investigates the god of opera called Marshal Tian in South China. It argues that Marshal Tian originates simply from a wooden puppet. The puppet is in the form of a baby. The puppet show proves to be the beginning of all kinds of Chinese operas, including those whose origins used to be unknown to researchers. The gods of opera, including Marshal Tian, are in fact gods of happiness as well as generative POwer. The trail of development of the Chinese god of opera is most probably from phallicism to ancestors’ worship, and to the hero in the puppet show, then to the child who plays the role of the puppet. Originally Guo Tu (the hero of the puppet show) also took on the image of the phallus.展开更多
文摘The article investigates the god of opera called Marshal Tian in South China. It argues that Marshal Tian originates simply from a wooden puppet. The puppet is in the form of a baby. The puppet show proves to be the beginning of all kinds of Chinese operas, including those whose origins used to be unknown to researchers. The gods of opera, including Marshal Tian, are in fact gods of happiness as well as generative POwer. The trail of development of the Chinese god of opera is most probably from phallicism to ancestors’ worship, and to the hero in the puppet show, then to the child who plays the role of the puppet. Originally Guo Tu (the hero of the puppet show) also took on the image of the phallus.
