Glove Puppetry

Glove puppetry is one of the most important traditional performing arts in Taiwan, an art form that incorporates literary motifs, music, and voice acting.

The puppets are expertly crafted with carved wooden heads, elaborate attire, and other trimmings that make them works of art in their own right. Their faces have no obvious expression; the liveliness of the figurines depends entirely on the puppetry skills of the puppeteer. The carvings and paintings of the puppet stage further add to the delight of the show.

Oil Paper Umbrellas

Oil paper umbrellas play an important role in the life of the Hakka people. In addition to providing shelter from sun and rain, they are also a symbol of good fortune. The Hakka town of Meinong in southern Taiwan is renowned for its oil paper umbrellas. It is a custom among the townspeople to give umbrellas away as a gesture of good luck. It is common to see people in Meinong walking through the town streets holding an oil paper umbrella on a rainy day. The umbrellas represent not only the locals' love for their hometown, but also pride in their skill and art.

Dough Figures

The making of dough figures is a traditional folk art in Chinese culture. The figures are fashioned from steamed sticky rice and flour dough and so are also called "rice sculptures." Most dough figures are made into characters from legendary stories or are shaped like beasts, flowers, or birds.

Nowadays, some dough figures are shaped into cartoon and comic story characters as well. Since they are brightly colored, dough figures are popular among and loved by children. Dough figures were often sold at temple fairs. Today, they are considered as art works to be collected and appreciated rather than items offered at an altar to the dead or deities in temples, as they once were.

Blowing Sugar Figurines

A sugar figurine is made by first melting malt sugar in a pot, then taking it out when it becomes semi-colloid and blowing it into a hollow round ball with a long and thin tube. When the ball cools down, it becomes solid while the lump of elastic sugar remains soft and warm in the hand. At that point, the sugar blower pulls, rolls, and pinches the ball while blowing into the tube. In less than a minute, a figure takes shape. Although it is not difficult to learn the basics of blowing sugar figurines, it takes much time and practice to do it well.