Puppets: Expressions of Cultures

Since the Japanese colonial period, the National Taiwan Museum has gradually amassed a collection of over 1,000 puppetry artifacts from the Minnan and Nanyang regions. In 2020, Dr. Lin Jing-Fu, founder of the Taiyuan Asian Puppet Theatre Museum, generously donated his vast personal collection of over 11,000 puppetry artifacts from around the world, bringing the museum's collection to an impressive 15,000 items. With this acquisition, the museum has become one of the world's leading institutions housing significant Asian puppetry collections.



Dr. Lin’s donation encompasses a wide variety of traditional puppets from Taiwan, Minnan, and Hakka cultures, as well as an extensive range of puppetry from Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Japan, and beyond. The collection includes not only puppets but also puppet stages, costumes, props, scripts, paintings, sculptures, and masks, representing an unparalleled diversity of cultural expressions. Many of these artifacts were crafted by anonymous folk artisans from across the globe, embodying invaluable cultural heritage that has often been overlooked.



The exhibition, titled "Puppets: Expressions of Cultures,” carefully curates highlights from Dr. Lin’s generous donation, presenting puppetry as a cultural embodiment shaped by regional traditions and beliefs. It is structured into three thematic sections:



“Unlocking the Treasure Chest of Puppetry” – An exploration of the historical and cultural richness embedded in puppetry traditions across Asia.

“A Thousand Faces, Infinite Stories” – Showcasing the diversity of puppetry styles and their ability to reflect social and cultural identities.

“Kaleidoscope of Puppetry” – Offering an immersive experience into the visual and performative splendor of puppetry arts.

This exhibition challenges conventional geographical categorizations and presents puppetry through a broader, more inclusive cultural lens, celebrating its role as a universal medium of storytelling and artistic expression. It invites visitors to rediscover puppetry as a vibrant cultural treasure that transcends borders, carrying the essence of intangible cultural heritage across generations.