Taiwan releases album preserving traditional glove puppetry, boosting cultural heritage funding

An audiovisual album titled "Heroic Deeds - The Puppet Love of National Treasure Chen Hsi-huang" has been officially released, marking a significant achievement in the preservation of Taiwan's traditional glove puppetry. The project, spanning two years, meticulously records eight classic repertoires by Chen Hsi-huang, a recognized master of this traditional performing art. Chen Hsi-huang himself led his traditional glove puppetry troupe in a performance at the album's launch event, held at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei.

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This audiovisual album is an important gift from Chen Hsi-huang to Taiwan and to the next generation.

Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan attended the event, emphasizing the album's importance as a gift to Taiwan and future generations. Cheng shared a personal connection, having been a musician in a glove puppetry troupe during her university years, expressing deep emotion upon seeing the album's opening and performances. She extended gratitude to Chen Hsi-huang, the production team, artists, musicians, scholars, and experts for their collective effort in this valuable cultural archiving project.

Cheng highlighted that the album not only preserves Chen Hsi-huang's artistic achievements but also documents the successful transmission of glove puppetry. Chen Hsi-huang, who began his career at age seven and has dedicated over 80 years to the art form, is recognized as a "dual-certified" national treasure for his mastery of both glove puppetry performance and the intricate craft of puppet costume and prop making. Cheng noted that his contributions extend beyond artistry to dedicated educational and transmission work.

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Cultural heritage is not something to be kept in the past, but something to continue creating the future.

Recalling her time as Minister of Culture, Cheng was moved by the documentary "The Red Box" and subsequently met with Chen Hsi-huang to discuss the challenges facing glove puppetry preservation. This led to a significant increase in the budget for intangible cultural heritage, more than tripling it since 2019, alongside increased funding for apprentices and dissemination programs. Cheng stressed that cultural preservation requires continuous creation and engagement, not just archiving, citing artist Tang Mei-yun's view that cultural heritage should "continue to create the future." She believes the best preservation method is to ensure the art form's ongoing vitality, allowing it to remain a relevant part of contemporary culture and a source of identity and future imagination for the people of Taiwan.

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The best way to preserve traditional art is to let it continue to be reborn and become part of contemporary culture.