Taiwanese glove puppet theatre, known locally as "Budaixi" or "Potehi," is a vibrant performing art form with a rich history deeply intertwined with the local culture. This traditional art has enchanted audiences for centuries, blending elements of folklore, drama, and music.
Taiwanese glove puppet theatre dates back to the 17th century in Quanzhou or Zhangzhou of China's Fujian province. Historically, it thrived in Min Nan-speaking regions, including Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, the Chaoshan region of Guangdong, and various parts of southern China, before firmly establishing itself in Taiwan.
As time passed, this form of art was influenced by Taiwanese customs, traditions, and beliefs and glove puppetry eventually emerged as a local distinct genre: the puppet's head is carved from wood into a hollow human shape, while the puppet's torso and limbs consist entirely of cloth costumes, with only the head, palms, and feet being made of wood. During a performance, a gloved hand enters the puppet's costume, animating it.
Taiwanese glove puppet theatre boasts a wide range of puppet characters, each meticulously designed and constructed. Puppet makers invest time and craftsmanship into these figures, with vividly painted faces, elaborately detailed costumes, and expressive gestures.
The heart of this art form lies in storytelling: traditional glove puppet performances often revolve around historical legends, myths, and popular folk tales.
Skillful narrators are responsible for guiding the story, singing and speaking lines, and improvising dialogues to engage the audience, while music has also got a key role enhancing the drama and emotions of the puppetry.
In contemporary Taiwan, traditional glove puppetry continues to thrive and it is not rare to stumble upon mobile glove puppet shows like the one featured in the images illustrating this post. The images show a vehicle turned into a puppet theatre presenting a performance to passers-by and people having a walk or resting in the nearby Xiangshan Park.
But puppetry has evolved throughout the years and there is also another form of puppet theatre you may stumble upon while walking around Taipei.
In the mid-'80s Taiwanese glove puppetry show Pili started adding computer animations to their shows while combining glove puppetry with anime style narratives and employing magnificent puppets in rich robes and detailed accessories to tell their stories.
Their "Thunderbolt Fantasy" series (2016-2021), a Japanese-Taiwanese collaboration created and written by Gen Urobuchi, that was even followed by a manga adaptation and a side novel, is one of the most popular puppet series produced by Pili.
While some scenes are shot in studios and enhanced with CG to highlight the effects of the character’s moves, other parts are still shot in actual settings.
So, if you're lucky enough, you may still spot crews in scenic places around the city shooting scenes featuring these puppets in their spectacular costumes, exquisite accessories and elaborate hairstyles (fashion design students obviously take a note and look for "Thunderbolt Fantasy" episodes with English subtitles online for inspiration).