Pili International Multimedia has teamed up with YouTube to air its Taiwanese puppet shows on the Web site in an effort to promote the traditional art among overseas viewers.
Starting this week on Wednesday, YouTube viewers can see eight series of puppet shows from Pili Multimedia, company chairman Vincent Huang (黃強華) said.
The shows are to be presented in Taiwanese with English subtitles, he said. The content currently is free, but Pili Multimedia said it might soon introduce a fee.
Photo: CNA
Huang said he hoped viewers around the world would be able to learn more about the culture of budaixi (布袋戲), or Taiwanese traditional puppet theater, through the YouTube clips.
Meanwhile, Google Taiwan managing director Chien Lee-feng (簡立峰) said YouTube is pleased to work with Pili to promote the art abroad. Chien recalled skipping classes when he was a child to watch budaixi.
Hand or cloth puppet shows were first introduced to Taiwan in the Qing Dynasty, and new cultural elements and creative performing styles were adapted to create the popular puppet shows seen today.
Pili International Multimedia evolved in 2000 from a puppet show company that was established in 1992 by Chris and Vincent Huang, members of the nation’s most prominent puppet family.
Their grandfather, Huang Hai-tai (黃海岱), father Huang Chun-hsiung (黃俊雄) and other family members maintained the tradition of finding new ways to advance the art of wooden puppet performances.
The younger Huangs have adopted Hollywood production techniques, as well as computer animated special effects and digital sound effects, to take the traditional art form to a new level since the release of Pili Multimedia’s first puppet film in 2000, Legend of the Sacred Stone (聖石傳說).
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
Taipei resident Mu Chu-hua caught some glimpses of China’s mighty military parade on YouTube on Wednesday. As she watched hypersonic missiles roll down Beijing’s Changan Avenue and troops march in lockstep, she did not feel like they posed a threat to Taiwan. Mu, a 69-year-old retiree, said she saw the parade as simply a way for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to “say thank you to the troops.” “I thought it was quite normal,” she said. “It was very cool.” China’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II was being watched internationally for insights into Beijing’s military advances and its show