A Long-awaited Pilgrimage to the Li Tien-Lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum

“… this secluded treasure house is sure to provide intimate viewing experience to all of its visitors for this place will only attract people who love the art of hand puppetry to the extent that they would be willing to go on this cultural pilgrimage like we did.”

In an earlier article, “Enjoy the Show With the Divine: Disappearing Tradition of Hand Puppetry”, I wrote about my chance encounter with the hand puppet theatre in Taiwan, which took place the night before I was going to visit the Li Tien-Lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum.

Li Tien-Lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum has been on my bucket list for more than a decade. Established in 1996 in the Sanzhi District in New Taipei City, the museum’s remote location has always prevented me from visiting until two weeks ago when I finally made up my mind and put my laziness aside. Luckily, I also found myself a company to go on this adventurous trip of discovery.

Li Tien-Lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum in New Taipei City, Taiwan

On a Saturday, I left home early in the morning. It took me more than two hours to reach the museum’s nearest bus station, after which we had to walk for another 20 minutes in order to reach our destination. We weren’t very surprised to see that this part of the town looked deserted as we appeared to be the only ones walking on the street. As soon as we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by the museum owner, Ms. Tsai, who welcomed us into the museum. We sat down and watched the video that she kindly put on for us to watch while trying to catch our breath.

I was particularly intrigued by one of the scenes with the presentation of a female dan role where the puppeteer ingeniously manipulated the puppet to show her playing with her hair using these tiny fingers. As shown in the video above, I was completely amazed by how realistic and vivid this whole act was. After a demonstration of a variety of techniques and the different roles found in hand puppetry repertoire, the video ends with the legacy of the master puppeteer Li Tien-Lu, to whom this museum is dedicated.

Showcase of hand puppets for the performance “A Chance Encounter Leads to Marriage”

Before I started to look around in the museum, the coziness of the place already made me feel as if I were at home. As I walked up the stairs leading to the second floor, I saw a selection of intricately made hand puppets — male and female, young and old — all dressed in exquisite costumes and headdresses. There was also a showcase that exhibited a variety of tools used by the puppeteers to make these beautiful hand puppets. Curiously enough, master puppeteers were not only trained in the manoeuvre of hand puppets, narration in dialect, but also puppet-making! A huge display case was found to show an array of tools used during the making of these wonderful hand puppets.

An array of tools used to make hand puppets

In my view, the highlights of the museum are found on its third floor where a plethora of hand puppets are displayed according to their “roles”. What was more, I discovered a number of panels that showcased different costumes made for the hand puppets. Sandwiched between two clear plexiglass bound by a wooden frame, the costume found in each individual panel can be seen from the front and the back with intricate design and craftsmanship found on both sides. I was touched to see the amount of care and attention given to these costumes when their makers knew deep down that a lot of the detailed work would not have been obvious to most viewers who would watch the performance from a certain distance.

Close up of a hand-made armour for the puppet

Heading down to the ground floor, I was confronted by a huge hall dedicated to the puppet theatre. Unfortunately, there was no performance scheduled for the day of our visit. After we finished our tour around the museum, we had a quick chat with the museum owner. It turned out that Ms. Tsai is the daughter-in-law of the late master puppeteer Li Tien-Lu.

Li Tien-Lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum is known for its renowned collection of a hand puppet dated more than one hundred years old. Unfortunately, this very puppet was taken out of its display case a couple of months ago to prevent the leaking from damaging this treasured artefact. in the fear that the water leaking from the ceiling may damage this piece of treasured artefact. Maybe this is a hint that I must visit the museum again when the puppet is back on display.

While it’s a pity that we were the only visitors to this wonderful museum on that Saturday morning, this secluded treasure house is sure to provide intimate viewing experience to all of its visitors for this place will only attract people who love the art of hand puppetry to the extent that they would be willing to go on this cultural pilgrimage like we did.

Li Tien-Lu Hand Puppet Historical Museum is located in New Taipei City, Taiwan.