Audience members take photos of the Rugao Puppet Art Troupe performers. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

The Rugao Puppet Art Troupe in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, was invited to participate in the seventh China Quanzhou International Puppet Festival from Dec 8 to 12.

The troupe staged the puppet show The Postman from Buluo Town on Dec 10, which portrays a brave young man called A Luo, who desires to become an outstanding postman and bridges the gap between the town and the forest with his kindness.

Rugao Puppet Art Troupe performers pose for a group photo. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

Karen Smith, chairwoman of the UNESCO International Puppetry Association, Chen Yingxian, chairman of the Chinese center of the UNESCO International Puppetry Association, and other officials praised the Rugao troupe after watching their performance at the Jinjiang Theater Center.

The festival invited 35 puppet troupes from 12 countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road including Italy, Egypt, and Spain. The art troupes performed puppet shows involving marionettes, paper puppets, and puppets that are manipulated by wooden rods.

Karen Smith, chairwoman of the UNESCO International Puppetry Association (3rd from R), talks with Rugao Puppet Art Troupe performers. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

More than 80 splendid puppet shows were offered at over 60 sites in Quanzhou during the festival, including communities, cultural squares, tourist attractions, and schools.

Rugao is a renowned hometown of puppet shows and its wooden rod puppet show was listed as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item in 2007. The Rugao Puppet Art Troupe has performed puppet shows in many countries, including South Korea, Japan and Singapore.