Master of puppets

"They can flawlessly mimic even the most subtle human actions, making many audiences feel like they are watching real people," Wang says.

Lin was born into a family of craftsmen. His grandfather was a renowned craftsman of silver jewelry and his father was a traditional paper-cut artist.

At the age of 12, Lin started to learn puppet sculpting with his older brother, who studied the art at the Quanzhou Puppetry Theater.

Initially, he struggled to handle the carving knife alone.

"I didn't have enough strength to push it properly and often borrowed strength from the shoulders, which caused injury," he recalls.

It took him years just to get the hang of holding the knife properly.

Now, deftly wielding the knife, he whittles the wood as if he were sculpting clay.

The ideal material for puppets is lightweight, moisture and termite-resistant camphor wood roots.

"The wood grain is interlocking, preventing deformation and cracks," he explains.

Some of his works have been in use for decades and are still as good as new.

"With proper care, a puppet head can last for a hundred years," he says.

The process of making puppet heads is different from wood carving, which usually involves fixing the wood and chiseling it bit by bit.

"But making puppet heads involves shaving the wood from start to finish, with the image and profile of the character already in mind," Lin says.

The challenge lies in achieving the desired shape.