Huang Haidai, a legendary figure who revived traditional Chinese puppetry in Taiwan and influenced generations of people, died on Sunday at the age of 107.

Huang died at his hometown of Yunlin from lung failure, weeks after being admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, local media reported.

The art of puppetry first developed in the 17th century in China's southeastern province of Fujian. Performed by hand movements and dubbed with local dialect narration, puppet shows gained popularity for their vivid and interesting illustration of traditional swordsman stories.

Huang learned the trade from his father. By enriching the narration and designing sophisticated choreography, Huang managed to take the art to new levels in Taiwan. The troupe established by Huang has survived and thrived for more than 80 years.

In the past few decades, Huang's sons and grandsons took over the puppetry business and successfully put it on TV screens with modern light and sound effects. The televised puppet shows have also become popular outside the island.

Earlier this year, the legislature of Yunlin even named January 2nd -- Huang's birthday -- as "Yunlin Puppetry Day" to mark the puppet master's 107th birthday, local media reported.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2007)