President Tsai Ing-wen (second right) tries her hand at glove puppetry during a visit to a memorial exhibition honoring the late puppetry master Huang Wen-tse July 5 in New Taipei City. (Courtesy of Presidential Office)
 

President Tsai Ing-wen attended a memorial exhibition in honor of the late glove puppetry master Huang Wen-tse at the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute July 5 in New Taipei City, vowing to continue promoting and preserving the folk art for the generations to come.

Glove puppetry takes a prominent place in the collective memory of the Taiwan people, the president said, adding that it was a favorite pastime of hers during childhood, when she used to watch shows with her father.

Thanks to the creativity and innovation of pioneers like Huang, the traditional art has been keeping pace with time, she said, adding that it has now garnered fans from all over the world.

Born into a family of glove puppetry masters in Huwei Township of Chiayi County in southern Taiwan, Huang was the son of Huang Chun-hsiung and grandson of Huang Hai-tai, both of whom were hailed as key promoters of the folk art.

Huang, who was known as the “Eight-Voice Wunderkind,” voiced over 4,000 characters during his career and is credited for further popularizing the art through the Pili TV series he created in 1984. He died last month from illness at the age of 66.

According to Tsai, Huang’s TV series is a remarkable achievement in Taiwan’s cultural and creative industry. The spin-off films “Legend of the Sacred Stone” in 2000 and “Demigod: The Legend Begins” released this January were both blockbuster productions, she said.

Tsai said many people consider Pili the local version of the Marvel franchise. Through the production and creative marketing of animated works, films and peripheral products, it has become an important intellectual property of Taiwan, the president added.

The president also took the opportunity to thank those who continue to work in the sector. The fantasy world of fraternity and loyalty they have created provides an outlet from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and allows people’s imaginations to run free, she said. (SFC-E)