Remembrance

Behind the ending drumming sound, crowds are leaving, and the warming lighting are dimming.  Only a few elderly people who love the puppet show are left, sitting on the steps, discussing the exhilarating show tonight.  After the show, the masters in the back stage are putting the puppets back to the box one by one, looking at the box and thinking for a while, before getting back to disassemble the stage… 

He is probably wishing that there will be stages for him to perform, and wishing someone could follow his steps.  However, the hope is difficult to be realized in this modern society, and the wish to watch an open stage performance for elderly people is becoming harder and harder to realized…  

Light at Dawn

Years ago, the teachers of Ping-Den Elementary School who love the traditional hand puppet theater, had invited Mr. Li Tien-Lu to come to teach in the school, before the Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe was formed.  Later, with the assistance of the principal and teachers, the the Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe was established in March 11, 1988.  At first Mr. Li Tien-Lu, and his two sons, Mr. Chen Shi-huang, and Mr. Lee Chuan-Tsan were the front stage masters, and Mr. Lee Shun-fa and Mr. Yang Tsai-Ming were the back stage instructors.  Later a group of Puppet show performers from the Ministry of Education, Wu Jung-Chang, Wu Wei-Hou, Lin Yung-Chih, Shih Yao-Ming, Huang Chow-Wei, were hired to be the dedicated instructors for the group.  Under the guidance of the I Wan Jan Puppet Theater masters, and the support of the school, the Chiao Wan Jan have came across thirteen years.

Foot prints

Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe, had inherited the essence of the I Wan Jan Puppet Theater of the Master Li Tien-Lu.  Mr. Lee had begun his learning of puppet performing art from his father since he was nine.  In 1931, he had formed the I Wan Jan Puppet Theater, and after his retirement in 1978, he still perform publicly on stage domestically and abroad.  He had performed in Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, US, Italy, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Monaco, Austria, Belgium, Israel and China, and his footsteps had been around the world.  He had brought the art of the puppet performance and the traditional art performance of Taiwan to every corner of the world. “ Wan-Jan” has many branches reaching across many places of the world, its pupils had formed “Chin Wan Jan”, “Zu Wan Jan”, “Chong Wan Jan”, “Wei Wan Jan”, “Chiao Wan Jan”, and “Hong Wan Jan”.  There are also “Sow Wan Jan” in France, “Yang Wan Jan” in Australia, “Ji Wan Jan” in Japan, and “Zu Wan Jan” in the United States of America. “Wan Jan “ pupils are every where around the world which allow the delicate hand performing art can be pass for generations to come. 

When the drumming sound rises, puppet moving, children begin to perform! Old masters pass their skills to our children. One generation pass down to another, one performance after another, we hope, the children in play, and the audiences all get the joy, happiness, and their dreams fulfilled…

Practices

In the curriculum of Ping-Den Elementary, “Hand Puppet” was one of the elective classes.  With more than ten elective classes to choose from, children can choose whether to participate the hand puppet class.  At the same time, children who chose the class went on and form their own association to practice after school.  Children learn and grow with the troupe and their performance, and experience the bitter sweet of art inheritance.   

For Chiao Wan Jan, respect the choice of the children, only one new performance each year.  Just a little work each year and with little dream fulfilled.  We hope the Chiao Wan Jan’s children can learn joyfully, and wish with the staged performance every year, the children could get some experience and gain some confidence.

Message

With many years of cultivation for Chiao Wan Jan Children Hand Puppet Troupe, allowing our children to have the opportunities to learn and experience the artistic skills of our own, this would be our little effort of work in passing on our own local culture.  Wish everyone could participate, and give our group a little encouragement and support for the hard work.