A performance of light and shadows

The Tangshan Shadow Play Theater (唐山市皮影劇團) is once again back in Taiwan this weekend to revive its highly successful performances of Panda Mimi (熊貓咪咪), the Stork and the Turtle (鶴與龜) and the Legend of Kuanyin (觀世音傳奇). Little has changed in their repertoire, but they remain very popular with young audiences, who having been denied "Tuan Tuan" (團團) and "Yuan Yuan" (圓圓) at Taipei Zoo, can now be treated to panda Mimi at Taipei's Zhongshan Hall and various cultural centers around the country.

The implications of this are not something that we need to consider too much here, and what is more disturbing is that the Tangshan troupe can meet with such success, even as Taiwan's own shadow puppet tradition, which is focused in southern Taiwan, is at the point of extinction. This is not a slur on the artists of the Tangshan troupe, who put on a more than creditable performance, as the wrapped attention of packed houses of children testify, but rather a bemusement over why Taiwan seems unable to compete. Shadow puppetry, after all, is hardly one of the most sophisticated of arts, and Tangshan's repertoire is drawn from simple allegorical tales, and its presentation is closer to primitive animation. Whatever its qualities, panda Mimi is a very long way from the complex mythological tales presented in the more abstract wayang kulit of Indonesia.

Tanshang traces its roots to China's Luozhou (濼州) tradition of shadow puppetry, which historically used donkey rather than cow hide in the manufacture of its puppets. The softer donkey hide allowed for greater detail, and also had greater translucency, which has allowed the troupe to create shadow puppets with plenty of color, and even the occasional special effect, as with the halo of the Goddess of Mercy, Kuanyin.

Troupe leader Zhai Yongheng (齊永衡) attributes the success of the troupe to its willingness to innovate within tradition, and the vibrancy of the colors and the use of accessible fables have certainly won it a loyal audience, although its cinematic effects, including the use of a big screen, somewhat detract from the intimacy of conventional puppet performances.

But ultimately, Tangshan's show belongs to the important movement in modern society that seeks to invigorate performance and storytelling traditions, delighting in the seeming simplicity of its stories and its media.

The Tangshan Shadow Play Theater will be performing at the National Center for Traditional Arts (國立傳統藝術中心) tomorrow and Sunday at 2:30pm. On Thursday it will be at Taipei's Zhongshan Hall, starting 7:30pm, followed by shows around the country. Tour details can be found at www.arsformosa.com.tw or by calling (02) 2771 5676. Tickets for the Taipei performance are NT$300 to NT$1,000 and can be obtained through ERA ticketing.