As one of the eldest and rarest among all puppet shows in China, the Quanzhou puppet show enjoys a long history of more than 2,000 years. The puppet show is believed to function as the communication medium between humans and gods, thus it has been combined with religious activities since its inception. Throughout the ages, it has become an indispensable part of people's life in Quanzhou, even in the Minnan dialect speaking area. It has been custom to stage puppet shows to drive away evil forces at events such as weddings, birthdays, and the openings of new buildings, as well as after fires, disasters, or funerals. Meanwhile, boasting its unique skills and splendid performance, Quanzhou puppet show also enjoys high popularity as a folk drama art.

A Quanzhou puppet show uses a kind of marionette, about 70cm tall, consisting of head, belly, limbs, lined-up strings, and an operation board to control strings. The puppet head is engraved out of camphor, linden or willow wood, with inner machinery, which can lead to a variety of facial expressions. The belly is made of bamboo. Puppets' hands differ from each other according to whether they are playing a civil or a military role: the former holding pens, while the latter grasping swords. Some puppets wear shoes, others go with bare feet Also, female feet are different from the male's. 16 to 32 strings are attached to puppet's joints so that people can control the puppets' movements from the operation board, which is about one meter above. Sometimes the strings extend as long as two meters, provoding more space for performance, yet requiring for more complicated skills at the same time.