ABSTRACT
In this chapter I will describe three consecrated string puppets and their function in ritual in southern China and Taiwan—Chief Marshal Tian in his role as patron saint of the theatre in southern Fujian; Zhong Kui, the demon slayer, performed in urban Taipei by master Lin Jinlian; and the Lady of Linshui, goddess of pregnancy, childbirth, and young children—all based on both extensive fieldwork and historical sources. The consecrated puppets have the same power as the statues of deities. They communicate with and confront the unseen world of deities, ghosts, and spirits. These puppet deities can be male or female, and they are still actively performed in large modern cities like Taipei and Kaohsiung or the countryside of Fujian and other southern provinces in China. Unlike the statues of deities, the deified puppets appear onstage or in a ritual space to invite other deities to attend a performance in their honor, provide cures for disease, and enact exorcisms.
