For over a year, in the village of Lima in Gaozhou, Maoming, Guangdong, every evening around 7:30, Uncle Xing's captivating puppetry show begins. Lasting nearly three hours each time, the performance includes drumming, recitations, singing, and manipulating puppets to enact both civil and martial scenes—all performed single-handedly by him.

Before Uncle Xing is a phone, and his fans cheer for him in the live streaming platform. At the end of 2022, after a hiatus of 27 years, Uncle Xing brought Gaozhou puppetry into the realm of live streaming.

Uncle Xing (original name: Che Youjie) started learning Gaozhou puppetry at the age of 16 in 1972. The tradition of Gaozhou puppetry relies solely on oral transmission among artists. Following his master around for performances, he memorized stories from over a hundred traditional plays, and mastered historical legends, anecdotes, supernatural tales, and legendary cases. He also memorized the basic lyrics before daring to formally debut on stage.

Before the age of 40, Uncle Xing worked as a farmer, performing puppetry during his leisure time, and traveling from village to village with his equipment. Renowned for his exceptional skills, he even performed in cities as far as Jiangmen, drawing crowds of hundreds whenever he performed and receiving enthusiastic welcomes from villagers wherever he went.

However, this marked the peak of Gaozhou puppetry. As times changed, villagers sought entertainment beyond puppetry, and by 1996, no one was hiring Uncle Xing to perform puppetry anymore. To make ends meet, he had to find alternative means of income. For the next 27 years, he never performed again.

As he grew older, Uncle Xing left Lima Village and moved to Dongguan with his son, Che Qinghua.

"One day, he asked me what those people were doing with their phones on the square, and I explained to him what live streaming was. He said he wanted to try streaming his shows," Che Qinghua recalled, referring to his father's sudden idea at the end of 2022. Che Qinghua supported his father's decision, purchasing live-streaming equipment and returning to the Lima village to get the performance stage and puppets.

At the end of 2022, the "Uncle Xing Puppet Show" went live on short video platforms. However, for the first two months, there was little interest. The turning point came during the 2023 Chinese New Year. Uncle Xing's performances sparked memories of a different kind of New Year celebration for the locals. On the third day of the first lunar month, over ten thousand people flooded Uncle Xing's live stream channel, with over 700,000 viewers at its peak the following night.

Uncle Xing still hasn't fully grasped the concept of live streaming or mastered its operations, but seeing the increasing number of viewers and comments scrolling on the screen fills him with joy: "As long as people are watching, I will continue to perform."

After the peak traffic period, Uncle Xing's live stream viewership entered a plateau. Over the past month, several hundred viewers tuned in steadily each night, occasionally exceeding a thousand. Elderly individuals visit the stream to reminisce about the sounds of their hometown, while younger generations, including those born in the '90s and '00s, admit to spending entire nights listening to Uncle Xing's performances. Many college students visiting for field studies also make it a point to meet Uncle Xing, furthering their understanding of Gaozhou puppetry.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News

高州木偶戏传承人：为生计罢唱27年直播间再演引70万人观看

近一年多来，在广东茂名高州里麻村，几乎每晚七点半左右，兴叔的一出好戏就会开场。每次近三个小时的高州木偶戏表演，从敲鼓奏乐，到念白唱曲，再到操纵木偶完成文武戏动作，全由他一人完成。

兴叔身前是架好的手机，为戏叫好的粉丝们会出现在他的直播间里。2022年底，兴叔将高州木偶戏搬进直播间，这是他时隔27年后的再度开嗓。

兴叔本名车有杰，1972年，16岁的他开始学习高州木偶戏。高州木偶戏的传承全靠艺人间的口耳相传，他跟着师傅到处串场演出，将百来部传统剧目的故事内容一一记住，对其中涉及的历史传说、奇闻异事、神鬼故事、公案传奇等烂熟于心，又将基本的唱词背得滚瓜烂熟，才敢正式出师登台。

40岁之前，兴叔农忙时种田，农闲时就一人挑着两根扁担，游走在各个村镇唱戏。兴叔技艺高超，声名远扬，最远时一人到江门唱戏，每到一处村落，总会受到村民的欢呼迎接，每每开唱，台下围聚几百人不足为奇。

这也是高州木偶戏最后的兴盛时期了。随着时代发展，村民的娱乐节目不再仅限于在田里劳作后，去广场上听一出戏。1996年，没人请兴叔唱戏了。为谋生计，兴叔只能另寻出路。此后27年的时间里，他再未唱过一出戏。

年岁渐长后，兴叔离开里麻村，随儿子车清华来到东莞生活。

“有一天他问我，广场上那些人架着手机是在干什么，我就跟他解释什么是直播，他就说自己也想直播做戏。”车清华回忆道，那是2022年年底，父亲突发奇想，跟他说了这个念头。车清华支持父亲的决定，为他购置了直播设备，又一同返乡收来演出的台棚和木偶。

2022年年底，“兴叔木偶戏”直播间在短视频平台上开播。但开播后近两个月，少有人问津。转机出现在2023年春节期间。茂名各村镇年例红火举行，兴叔的演出唤起了当地人对于过年的另一种记忆。那年年初三，超万人涌进了兴叔的直播间，隔天晚上，最高峰时有70多万人在线看他唱戏。

兴叔还没能完全搞明白直播是怎么一回事，也还是没掌握运营之道，但看着屏幕滚动的人数和留言，他心里很高兴：“还有人看戏，我就要继续唱。”

在高峰流量过后，兴叔的直播观看人数也进入一个平缓期，近一个月来，每晚稳定有几百人观看，偶尔数据好时会逾千。直播间里有上了年纪的人来追寻乡音，也有“90后”“00后”直言一整晚都在听兴叔唱戏。线下不少大学生进行研学活动时，也会来拜访兴叔，进一步了解高州木偶戏。

文、图｜记者 谢小婉
翻译｜刘佳慧