The show Flying Swords and the Heroes, which is based on the book,“Flying Swords and the Hero”,published in 1911, is the first complete glove puppetry of the national-treasure puppetry master, Chen Hsi-huang. The Flying Swords and the Heroes show comprises over 10 episodes. Rainy Flower Temple is th...Read more
The show Flying Swords and the Heroes, which is based on the book, “Flying Swords and the Hero”, published in 1911, is the first complete glove puppetry of the national-treasure puppetry master, Chen Hsi-huang. The Flying Swords and the Heroes show comprises over 10 episodes. Rainy Flower Temple is the 8th episode, the plot of which is that when White Sparrowhawk witnesses the tragic death of his grandmother, he spits out a green light sword from his fuming and rage-bursting breast to hunt the Bai Orchard couple. In the meantime, Madame Black, who is jubilantly greeting the arrival of her nephew and niece-in-law, comes to realize the cause of White Sparrowhawk’s anger at the sight of the flying green light sword. Madame Black suggests that they trick the green light sword by substituting human blood with chicken blood. Seeing the returned light green sword with the chicken blood, White Sparrowhawk, however, discerns Madame Black’s trick immediately and sends the green light sword on a mission again. Running out of tricks, Madame Black commands Chu Ying to look for a surrogate person to sacrifice. However, the skeptical White Sparrowhawk still decides to visit Hunan to confirm the fact himself. As such, hardly has one wave subsided when another rises. Believing that they have survived the adversity, the White Orchard couple unexpectedly runs into hooligans when they take shelter from the rain at a shrine to a mountain god. Their accidentally eye-witnessing the hooligans’ underhanded business deals triggers the hooligans’ intention to kill them. Meanwhile, White Lotus Pearl is attacked by Yang Swallow’s “five thunder and fire poison palm” at the Rainy Flower Temple and has uncertain chances of life or death. Madame Black instantly sends Chu Ying to Kuanhsi to solicit the help of the senior swordsman, Chou Tung. Reminiscent of Black Madame’s previous kindness to him, Chou Tung not only exercises his inner power to cure White Lotus Peal, but also defeats attacking enemies, including White Sparrowhawk and Yang Swallow.
Category | Traditional Puppetry |
Type | Glove Puppetry |
Chinese Title | 飛劍奇俠:花雨寺 |
Group | Chen His-Huang Traditional Puppet Troupe |
Subtitle | Mandarin Chinese |
Duration | 120min |
Image Source | Chen His-Huang Traditional Puppet Troupe、Department of Cultural Affairs,Taipei City Goverment |
Other Works | Chen Shi-huang’s Life in Puppetry |