Old Play Puppet Theater Introduction
"Xiu Jiu Puppetry Garden" (established in 1992) is Taiwan's first themed restaurant focused on puppetry. For 30 years, the "Taiwanese Puppetry Feast" has attracted tour groups from various countries to come to the capital to reminisce, enjoy a traditional Taiwanese meal while watching performances in Taiwanese, and embark on a joyful journey across the beautiful island. The venue often hosts various distinguished guests and dignitaries; for example, the President of Palau (then a senator) and the First Lady of Nauru have visited twice (during the pandemic period as part of a diplomatic bubble). In 2013, it was featured in an American TLC report as one of the "world's quirky restaurants." "Xiu Jiu Puppetry Garden" also has a traditional puppet troupe of the same name, utilizing various Taiwanese puppetry styles including hand puppetry, rod puppetry, TV COSPLAY, and indigenous dolls, depending on the performance, demonstrating characteristics of being "local, easy to understand, and joyful." The performances can be conducted not only in Taiwanese but also rarely in English, adopting a lively interactive style that engages audiences of all ages, allowing both domestic and international visitors to understand, play along, perform, and laugh, bridging the gap between Taiwan's traditional arts and viewers from around the world. Over the years, the troupe has received numerous invitations to perform both domestically and internationally, including trips to Mainland China, Japan (for the 2014 National Palace Museum's national treasures exhibition and National Day banquet), South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia multiple times (promoting the Universiade alongside Mayor Ko in Kuala Lumpur in 2017), as well as participation in international travel exhibitions in Australia, the Netherlands, and Germany (Berlin ITB), and the 2022 ITF "Ministry of Culture" exhibition showcasing a story that won the 2022 Chunghwa Telecom "Taiwan with a Story" competition in the "Traditional Craft" category. (Source: Xiu Jiu Puppetry Garden)
