Budaixi magic
A visit to a Taiwanese glove puppetry show and museum gives insights into this ancient art form
temple located on Guangzhou Street, the puppet master is staging another show called A Family Of Three Scholars, a Chinese classic set in imperial China. It is a popular show among the Hokkien community.
But before each show, a thanksgiving ritual is a must to ensure everything goes smoothly. Prayers will be made to the deities, especially to Marshall Tian Du, to seek their blessings. Marshall Tian Du is highly regarded as the protector of Chinese opera.
When the puppet master is ready for his performance, he puts the miniature puppets, which measure about 30cm from head to toe, into his hands, just like how he would wear a glove. The puppeteer then mimics the movements of a person using his hands. Hakka community in eastern China.
Backstage, a group of musicians, made up of both young and old, play according to the mood. The musicians are experts and are capable of handling each traditional instrument such as the gong, cymbal and erhu, which give the overall performance its distinctive sound.
Budaixi is very popular with both the young and old, thanks to its lingering music, brisk colour and lively performance. Don’t be surprised to see budaixi being broadcast on television the next time you visit Taiwan. It enjoys the same popularity as other Taiwanese soap operas.
My budaixi experience becomes complete when I chance upon a museum dedicated to the art form while exploring the quiet neighbourhood of Dadaocheng in the Datong district, some 20 minutes’ drive from Taipei city centre.
The unassuming museum has its Chinese name — Taiyuan Asian Puppet Theatre Museum — written across the main entrance. A pair of Chinese couplets are plastered on the double-glass door. The stone facade of the pre-war shophouse, which was once home to a local merchant, looks worn out from the outside. The stone steps that lead into the interior of the museum has cracks, a sign that many visitors have already frequented the place.
The four-storey museum occupies the corner lot of Xining N. Road which intersects with the famous Dihua Street, a popular place among the locals for dried seafood produce. It is also a popular location among youngsters because of its many coffee shops.
The museum houses over 5,000 pieces of puppetry treasures on display. Covering approximately 660 square metres, it is divided into different sections.
I begin my tour from the top, on the fourth floor which has a door that opens to an outdoor garden on the rooftop. There’s nothing much to see here except a tank filled with water and bamboo blinds covering half of it from top to bottom. You can try your hands at Vietnamese Water Puppets here. Each puppet is tied to a long bamboo pole and they’re sculpted from wood and painted over in vibrant colours. The water puppet is a representation of traditional Vietnamese theatre shows that date back centuries. To play, the puppeteer stands behind the bamboo blinds and moves the poles accordingly.
Next, I take the wooden staircase which creaks under my weight to the third floor. My imagination starts to run wild with every