Intriguing Tale of Dadaocheng as Recounted by a Puppeteer

TAIPEI, Taiwan — In light of the opening of Tamsui Harbour in late 19th century, Dadaocheng started to prosper and became an economic hub, playing a crucial role in nurturing the city’s cultural development.

In the 1920s, Dadaocheng was the base for the New Cultural Movement spearheaded by Jiang Wei-Shui. The place was also the cradle for a myriad of traditional performing arts, such as, Peking opera, Gezai opera, Hakka opera, alongside with Nanguan and Beiguan music. Locals often referred to Dadaocheng as ‘Hì-khut’ (Taiwanese for ‘Hub of Theatres’), a place where actors and performers were born.

With the passage of time, Dadaocheng’s theatres have emptied out, and the performers who thrived in the area are nowhere in sight. Today, the place remains to be the city’s leading culture destination infused with nostalgia of the bygone era. Tea houses, local eateries, as well as fabric and herb shops housed in extravagant Baroque architecture and time-honoured Hokkien buildings offer visitors a glimpse of Dadaocheng’s glorious past.

To promote the area’s arts and cultural history, the Dadaocheng Creative District Development Association (DCDDA) has, since 2017, launched an annual spring program in the hope of encouraging the public to rediscover its hidden treasure. With satellite events like music concerts, opera performances, guided tours and activities spreading throughout the district, the DCDDA succeeds in turning this open-air museum into a living heritage that satisfies all of your senses.

On the occasion of this year’s program, this writer had the opportunity to participate in a remarkable guided tour organised by the DCDDA. This tour was very special because it was unlike any others that I’ve had when travelling around the world.

At the Heart of Dadaocheng: The Xiahai City God Temple

The tour begins with a guided tour to the Xiahai City God Temple — a popular temple found at the heart of Dadaocheng where the locals, especially those seeking for divine blessing of finding the love of their life, come to pay their tributes.

Statue of Liao Tien-ding inside the Xiahai City God Temple

After a brief introduction of the temple’s main hall, we are led to its annex where we see an altar known as the ‘The Courageous’, one that’s dedicated to men who have lost their life rescuing the temple’s statues from fire before their relocation to its current site where we now stand. On the altar, there’s a curious gold-gilt statue that depicts a man wearing a hat, with his hair in the Manchu queue almost reaching his waist. On the pedestal where this man stands writes his name: Liao Tien-ding.

Born in 1883, Liao is a celebrated ‘gentleman thief’ of his time. It is said that he stole from the rich to help the poor, and that his ‘good deeds’, as well as his bravery in fighting against the colonial government, eventually led him to be crowned as ‘deity’ by the local population. In Bali, the northern tip of Taiwan, there’s even a temple dedicated to Liao. At his time, Liao was active in the area of Dadaocheng — one of the reasons why he’s been made the main subject of this tour.

After a quick tour around the temple, we’re brought to its front square where a puppet stall awaits. Yes — this is a tour that combines guided tour and live hand-puppet performance on-the-go.

Puppeteers waiting behind the puppet stall in front of the Xiahai City God Temple

The puppet performance begins with Liao Tien-ding who is seen dressed in a blue cloak, and his face disguised with a burgundy red mask. We see Liao stealing a silver dish from the Japanese military commander named Yamamoto. After realising that his property has been stolen, Yamamoto starts chasing after Liao, who then escapes to the Xiahai City God Temple. The temple host then recounts how Liao would always divide the wealth he acquired with the poor living in the ghetto next door. And this marks the end of the first act.

The Tour Continues…

The tour continues down the street, passing by what is today’s Yongle Market, until we arrive at a small lane where Eraku-za (永樂座) — one of the city’s biggest theatres during the Japanese Colonial Period — was found. After a brief introduction of the history and culture associated with this lane, we arrive at the doorstep to a boutique where the same puppet stall awaits.

Act II unfolds with Liao Tian-ting hosting an Italian friend. He takes this foreigner to local eateries around Dadaocheng, and then to Eraku-za for entertainment. At the theatre, we see that Liao’s girlfriend is introduced as one of the theatre’s leading performers. In this particular scene, we also get to see closely how the master puppeteer ingeniously manoeuvres the puppet’s extremely tiny fingers, simulating the graceful gesture of the puppet combing through her hair with those delicate fingers.

The audience is also informed that Liao is on the run — leaving only seconds before Yamamoto and his men arrive at his girlfriend’s place. Before Act II ends, Yamamoto tells the audience that he’s about to leave Taiwan and is looking for ‘omiyage’ (Japanese for ‘souvenir’) to bring back to Japan.

Yamamoto and his wife shopping for ‘omiyage’ in the boutique

Suddenly, Yamamoto jumps off the stage as the puppeteer appears from behind the curtain and walks into the boutique, holding Yamamoto on one hand, and his wife on another. The performance continues inside the boutique, where the couple chooses their favourite souvenirs — among a myriad of products on display — to bring back home.

After the end of this act, our tour guide recounts the history of the boutique, revealing the little-known association between the shop owner’s grand-mother and Liao’s girlfriend back in the old days. We shop around the boutique for a bit before we head to our next destination, further away from the temple where we first started.

The Final Act

On our way to the final stop of this tour, the guide draws our attention to the historic architectures that line up the street, pointing out some of their unique features that are rarely found in present day. We stroll around this quiet neighbourhood, listening to what the guide has to share, until we reach an old mansion where we see our puppeteer already standing by.

The final act shows how Liao, with the soldiers chasing after him, is left with no choice but to jump off the Tamsui River. This chase, intensified by the music playing in the background, is such an immersive experience that, for a second, it’s as if we were watching an action film. With Liao’s swift movement, he succeeds in dumping the soldiers behind him, and this is where the performance and this tour comes to an end.

This is my first time handling an actual hand puppet — knowing that what I’m holding now will become cultural heritage of tomorrow for posterity to appreciate and amaze upon.

Puppets Liao Tien-ding and his Italian friend

Behind the scene: the Puppeteer

This brilliant performance was led by puppeteer Lai Yong-ting who, when he was 17 years old, became a disciple of Li Tien-Lo — one of Taiwan’s very first puppeteers to be bestowed with the title of “National Treasure”.

What’s even more exciting is that the puppets used in the performance were all hand-made by the puppeteer himself. The making of puppet is an extremely complex craft that requires interdisciplinary skills, including carving, painting, and costume-making.

After the performance, Lai very generously invites the audience to try on these puppets that he’s just performed with. Upon a closer look, one notices the meticulous painting on the puppets’ visage, as well as the intricate embroidery work found on their costumes. This is my first time handling an actual hand puppet — knowing that what I’m holding now will become cultural heritage of tomorrow for posterity to appreciate and amaze upon.

Last stop of the puppet show took place at an external corridor of a historic building

Organised by the Dadaocheng Creative District Development Association, this year’s Annual Spring Program (戲春大稻埕) kicked off on April 22nd, and ran through May 8th, 2022.