The Huang dynasty of glove puppetry
Huang Hai-dai (黃海岱) was a venerable master of glove puppetry and head of the immensely influential Wu Chou troupe. More than 200 sub-troupes carry the namesake of Wu Chou today and bear his philosophy of "20 percent classical and 80 percent contemporary” in their productions.
Moreover, Huang also gave life to the one of the most iconic character in glove puppet history - Shih Yan-wen (史艷文). The indomitable martial arts hero was made into a household name by his second son, Huang Chun-hsiung (黃俊雄), marking the start of the Huang dynasty.
Huang Chun-hsiung not only went on to create a flashier, larger-sized glove puppetry performance style dubbed "golden light,” he also passed down his skills to two of his sons - Huang Chiang-hua (黃強華) and Huang Wen-tse (黃文擇), co-founders of the world-famous Pili Glove Puppetry (霹靂布袋戲).
Thus the eldest Huang and his Wu Chou troupe conquered audiences with nimble and witty performances; the second-generation Huang coaxed with chivalrous adventures told through broadcasting; and the third-generation Huangs captivated with deft use of modern lighting, sound, and digital effects.
Today, with fourth-generation puppeteer Huang Liang-xun (黃亮勛) creating new stories and characters for the Pili team, glove puppetry backed by the Huang dynasty shows no sign of giving up the limelight.
Puppet Master Huang Hai-dai
Dubbed a legend of Taiwanese hand puppetry, Huang Hai-dai founded Wu Zhou Yuan (Five Continent Garden) in 1929, which even today is the largest puppetry school in Taiwan. It is said to have more than 200 sub-troupes whose influences have shaped the face of the art over the past decades … (read more)
Pili Glove Puppetry
The name of Pili Glove Puppetry comes from the fact that every production is titled with "pili (霹靂),” which means "thunderbolt” in Chinese. Produced by Pili International Multimedia Co., Ltd., it has released numerous dramas, games, and films under the brand name Pili … (read more)