Yeung, Faï (1964)

Yeung Faï, born in China in 1964, is part of the 5th generation of a Chinese puppet master family. Puppetry is one of the oldest traditional Chinese folk arts, which dates back to West Han Dynasty (206 BC to 24 AD). Yeung Faï was initiated to puppetry by his father at the age of 4; his father, who was a great Chinese puppet master and who was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, has left some lasting impression in Yeung Faï's art. He was on tour to perform his solo Scenes of the Beijing Opera for about 20 years in Asia, North America, South America and Europe. He contributed to several films for cinema and television formats, and was a teacher in Zhengzhou Puppet School for years. Yeung Faï has now his own puppet company. In 2004, he performed La Neige au milieu de l'été by Guân Hanging, a nice Chinese poem which was adapted by Grégoire Callies, the director of the Théâtre Jeune Public de Strasbourg (TJP). This adaptation was the opportunity for him to bring on stage puppets, for which he supervised their creation. In 2005, he and several people made Don Quichotte puppets, the TJP creation, with Grégoire Callies as the stage director: glove and supported puppets (or bunraku), which were thought up, drawn and built in China. From 2006 to 2009, he contributed to 3 creations, Odyssée 1-2-3-, directed by Grégoire Callies. From 2010, he worked on the creation of Hands Stories, a show based on his history and his family. He is currently on tour with this show produced by the Vidy theatre. In September 2013, he made a new show Blue Jeans, which is similar to a documentary. This show relates jeans production and the working conditions in contemporary China. Since 2011, Yeung Faï has been associated with the ESNAM. He works with the 9th class and passes on the technique of Chinese glove puppetry.