Xiu Jiu Puppet Theatre Garden Introduction
"Xiu Jiu Puppet Theatre" (established in 1992) is Taiwan's first puppet-themed restaurant. For 30 years, its "Taiwan Puppet Feast" has attracted tourist groups from around the world to first reminisce in the capital, sitting on benches while enjoying Taiwanese-style meals and watching Taiwanese language performances, starting a joyful journey on the treasure island. Public institutions often arrange for dignitaries and VIPs from various countries to enjoy performances here, with the President of Palau (then a senator) and the First Lady of Nauru having visited twice (during the pandemic, inviting foreign guests through a diplomatic travel bubble). In 2013, the American network TLC reported it as one of the "World's Unusual Restaurants." "Xiu Jiu Puppet Theatre" has a traditional puppet troupe of the same name that showcases various types of puppets from Taiwan, including hand puppets, silver screen puppets, television cosplay, and indigenous puppets (depending on the performance), characterized by "local, easy to understand, and joyful" presentations. It can be performed entirely in English, which is rare, and employs an interactive performance style that is accessible to people of all ages, allowing both domestic and international audiences to understand, engage with, perform, and enjoy continuous laughter, bridging the gap between Taiwanese traditional arts and audiences from different countries. The troupe has been continuously invited to perform domestically and internationally and has been to mainland China, Japan (2014 National Palace Museum treasure exhibition in Kyushu and National Day banquet), South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia multiple times (in 2017, they accompanied Mayor Ko to Kuala Lumpur to promote the Universiade), Australia, the Netherlands, Germany (Berlin ITB) international travel expo, and the 2022 ITF exhibition at the "Ministry of Culture" pavilion (promoting stories that won the championship in the "Folk Arts" category of the 2022 Taiwan Mobile "Story of Taiwan" competition). (Source: Xiu Jiu Puppet Theatre)
