Little Ling Dang was the star of a 1960's Chinese film that was a huge hit with kids at that time.
Suo said, "When I made Little Ling Dang all those years ago, I wanted to make him to look Chinese, not Western. I wanted him to have narrow Oriental eyes, eyes that would be full of life and make him loved by Chinese people."
Suo Wanjin also created this funny old gatekeeper for the film. But his involvement didn't end there - he also makes an appearance on screen as a member of the puppet art troupe. And thanks to Little Ling Dang's popularity, Suo teamed up with director Xie Tian twenty years later to make a sequel.
Suo said, "I worked with the China Puppet Show Troupe for decades. I helped develop the craft of puppet making, based on research into Chinese puppets, and the puppets of other countries. My creations have influenced many other puppet theaters around the country."
This is Lu Dongbin, the first of the Eight Immortals in Chinese legend. In 1972, I designed hands with movable joints. Now, many puppet troupes are using this design.
This puppet was inspired by artwork from the Han Dynasty. Normally, before we design a puppet, we decide on a style. For a Western Han Dynasty story, I researched brick paintings and other art forms from that era.
As one of China's top puppet makers, Suo has visited a lot of foreign countries. And since his retirement, he's been helping a lot of local troupes with their work. For the Jinzhou troupe in Liaoning province, he designed and helped make puppets for two shows, which he also had a hand in directing: the "Flying Apsaras" and "The Leg's Story".
