Academic Lecture (282): Creative Trends and Artistic Representation in Contemporary Taiwanese Glove Puppetry

Lecturer

Qiu Yifeng

Lecturer: Qiu Yifeng

Profile:

Assistant Professor at Ling Tung University

Abstract:

Titled “Creative Trends and Artistic Representation in Contemporary Taiwanese Glove Puppetry,” this lecture traces glove puppetry from its historical origins through its performance forms to its contemporary turn toward the theatre, examining how this traditional puppet art continues to transform and innovate within a modern artistic environment. Drawing on his long involvement in theatre criticism, cultural policy, and puppetry research, speaker Qiu Yifeng introduces the breakthroughs Taiwanese glove-puppet companies have made in recent years in stage aesthetics, lighting design, stage space, and narrative method, and—using the work of contemporary troupes as examples—analyses the new performance vocabulary that emerges when the traditional painted “cǎilóu” stage is combined with the modern theatre.

The lecture also revisits the historical development of glove and marionette puppetry—from burial figurines and sacrificial culture to the puppet performances of the Song dynasty—explaining how puppet theatre gradually shifted from religious ritual toward entertainment art. It introduces the craft of manipulation, the aesthetic character, and the stage culture of glove puppetry, including traditional concepts such as “one mouth, five voices” (一口五音) and “three parts front-stage, seven parts back-stage” (三分前場七分後場), as well as the impact of the painted stage, “golden-light” (jinguang) puppetry, and televised glove puppetry on popular culture.

Finally, it discusses the challenges of transformation that glove puppetry faces today—cross-disciplinary collaboration, theatricalised production, international exchange, and new-media application—inviting the audience to re-understand glove puppetry not as mere folk entertainment but as a composite theatrical form fusing literature, music, carving, fine art, and performance, one that reveals the creativity and vitality of Taiwan’s traditional arts within contemporary culture.