President Chen Shui-bian (
Huang's second son, Huang Chun-hsiung (
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) also attended the funeral to pay tribute to the folk arts master who was praised as a "treasure of the nation."
PHOTO: LIAO YAO-TUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
During the ceremony, head of the Government Information Office Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), Minister of Cultural Affairs Chiu Kun-liang (邱坤良), Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) and Yunlin County Council Speaker Su Chin-huang (蘇金煌) jointly draped Huang's coffin with the national flag.
Huang Hai-tai passed away at his home in Yunlin on Feb. 11 as a result of pulmonary edema caused by the flu. He celebrated his 107th birthday on Jan. 2. The Yunlin County Council passed a resolution designating the date as "Yunlin Hand Puppet Show Day" in recognition of his contribution to the development of hand puppet theater and related traditional folk arts in Taiwan.
Huang Hai-tai was born in 1901 in Hsiluo Township (
Huang Hai-tai, the father of eight sons and two daughters, was the creator of a popular hand puppet drama, Yunchou Hero, which was later transformed into a successful TV series by Huang Chun-hsiung.
Through the Huang family's efforts, classic hand puppet theater was last year officially declared part of Taiwan's national image.
In 1998, Huang Hai-tai was awarded by the Ministry of Education with the honorary title of folk arts master. In the following year, he won the Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award and a lifetime achievement award. He received the National Literary Award in 2000.
Huang Hai-tai's hand puppetry has helped to preserve several aspects of traditional Taiwanese culture, including theater, carving and embroidery.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or