The Return of the Golden Eagle: Lung Hsing Ko (隆興閣) Puppet Theater Special Exhibition

Taiwanese Puppet Theater has undergone development through different periods, evolving diverse performance forms and connotations, allowing it to continuously grow, take root, and even flourish. It can be said to be the most vibrant and widely influential dramatic art among Taiwan's three major puppet theater forms. In the developmental history of Taiwanese Puppet Theater, lineages often diverge due to different masters, with distinctions such as "Chou" and "Ko" (meaning "garden" and "pavilion"). However, troupes established in different eras must both inherit tradition and create new paradigms. In Yunlin County, the so-called "hometown of Puppet Theater," there are important inheritance systems, such as "Wu Chou Yuan" (五洲園) and "Hsin Hsing Ko" (新興閣), each branching out and profoundly influencing Taiwanese Puppet Theater. Within Yunlin County, there are many famous troupes. Among them, "Lung Hsing Ko" (隆興閣), originating from the Hsilo (西螺) Ko faction, has been managed over two generations and passed down further. It is now inherited and promoted by the current troupe leader, Liao Chao-tang (廖昭堂). The troupe excels in performing classical repertoire and "Golden Light" drama, with its flagship masterpiece being "The Life Story of the Five-Clawed Golden Eagle." This play has been promoted extensively, receiving enthusiastic responses and support from a wide audience, academia, public institutions, and various sectors.