Object Name: Hand puppet, the Blind Scholar
Place of Origin: Chinese, Taiwan
Date: Early to mid-20th century
Materials Used: Wood, paint, synthetic fiber, rabbit fur
Dimensions: H: 50.0 cm, W: 26.0 cm, D: 11.0 cm (H: 19.6 in, W: 10.2 in, D: 4.3 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous gift. X77.1391a-d

The name of this hand puppet, a schoolteacher known as the Blind Scholar, is written on his face, together with a passage from the Book of Three Character Phrases, a textbook used by schoolchildren in prerevolutionary China. This schoolteacher imparted the importance of learning and literacy as he entertained Chinese audiences.