Old Puppet Theater Introduction
"Xiu Jiu Puppet Theater" (established in 1992) is Taiwan's first puppet-themed restaurant. Over the past 30 years, its "Taiwan Puppet Feast" has attracted various international tourist groups to the capital for a nostalgic experience, where guests can enjoy Taiwanese cuisine while watching traditional puppet shows performed in Taiwanese. It has opened a joyful journey on the beautiful island. Public sectors frequently arrange for foreign dignitaries and government officials to visit, including two visits from the President of Palau (then a senator) and the First Lady of Nauru (during the pandemic for diplomatic bubble guests). In 2013, it was featured by the American network TLC as one of the "weirdest restaurants in the world." "Xiu Jiu Puppet Theater" has a traditional puppet troupe of the same name, utilizing various types of puppetry from Taiwan, including hand puppets, golden light puppets, television cosplay, and indigenous puppetry (depending on the performance). Its performances are characterized by being "local, easily understandable, and joyful." Besides offering shows in Taiwanese, it also provides complete performances in English. The lively and interactive performance style allows audiences of all ages, both domestic and international, to comprehend, engage, perform on stage, and enjoy continuous laughter, bridging the gap between Taiwanese traditional arts and international audiences. For many years, the troupe has been invited to perform both domestically and abroad. It has performed in Mainland China, Japan (2014 National Treasure Exhibition at the National Palace Museum and National Day Banquet), South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia (multiple times, including a promotional visit to Kuala Lumpur with Mayor Ko during the 2017 Summer Universiade), Australia, the Netherlands, Germany (ITB Berlin), and at the 2022 ITF "Ministry of Culture" exhibition (promoting stories that won the championship in the "Folk Crafts" category in the 2022 Chunghwa Telecom "Taiwan with Stories" competition). (Source: Xiu Jiu Puppet Theater)
