![]() ![]() Many villages around Hanoi used to have their own puppet theater. The villagers of Dong Nu, 30 kilometers away, await the puppeteers with great anticipation. The groups of puppets that move synchronically can weigh as much as 100 kilograms. A single water puppet weighs 15 kilograms. Long isn't only worried that he might do something wrong, he also fears that he might not have the strength to keep going throughout the entire performance. So the art has been a family tradition for a millennium. Back in the 11th century this venerable ancestor was carving figures out of fig wood and painting them with waterproof lacquer so that he could make them dance across the village pond. Long's family claim to be the direct descendants of the inventor of water puppetry. After all, daughters will become part of another family after they marry and may divulge all the puppeteers' tricks. The secrets of this ancient tradition are closely guarded and are only passed down from fathers to their sons - and no one else. He's making a puppet for use in a special art form unique to Vietnam - water puppetry. Under the watchful eyes of his great-grandfather, 12-year-old Long carves a piece of fig wood.
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