Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe
Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe
◎English translation: Hou Ya-ting
◎Photos courtesy of Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe
Established in 1890, Mituo District's Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe is a prestigious local troupe. Mr. Jhang Li is the founder of Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe; however, it wasn't until second generation, Managing Director Jhang Wan that it got the name it has today. Puppetry was once an iconic artistic form that was revered by Taiwan's agricultural society, and today it continues to attract new audiences. Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe is now managed by a fifth generation of puppeteers, who strive to preserve the traditional art form, while infusing modern techniques. The troupe ultimately hopes shadow puppetry can gain widespread appreciation domestically and abroad.
Although there are often challenges, several generations continue to passionately work together to maintain the tradition. Third generation, Mr. Jhang Zuo and Mr. Jhang Suei, and fourth generation, Mr. Jhang Sin-guo and Ms. Jhang Ying-jiao, continue to take on important roles in running the troupe. The troupe is currently managed by fifth generation Director Jhang Sin-hong. Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe was banned during the Japanese colonial rule, but when it was allowed to resume, the family was unrelenting in its devotion to preserving the distinct Taiwanese cultural heritage. Today, the main challenges the troupe faces is a lack of interest in the traditional arts and recruiting new and professional performers.
Ms. Jhang Ying-jiao points out that mainstream entertainment is dominated by television, cinema and electronic games. This has limited the troupe's performance opportunities. Traditionally, Yung Shing Le Shadow Puppet Troupe only performed at temple celebrations, but Mr. Jhang Sin-guo and Ms. Jhang Ying-jiao have been working to grow the business and have been seeking out other performance opportunities. The troupe has recently been performing at cultural events and department stores, which have led to opportunities to perform at various festivals abroad and the chance to share Taiwanese culture with the world.
The puppet troupe incorporates new technologies into every performance. The troupe developed the show Legendary Banpingshan, a shadow puppet drama about Lotus Lake and Banpingshan. The troupe hired performers, wrote the eloquent script, integrated film and computer animation, created specialized stage lighting and designed the set. It was a great success in drawing larger and newer audiences and in cultivating a greater appreciation for the traditional art. Another of Yung Shing Le's successful shows includes Momotaro the Peach Boy, which is a Japanese folk legend.
"Creating traditional shadow puppet performances is a daunting task. It is a huge responsibility to produce professional shadow puppet shows," says Ms. Jhang Ying-jiao. The family takes greats pride in working together and are devoted to shadow puppet performance. "No matter how advanced technology has become or how much society changes, Yung Shing Le will preserve this important cultural asset," says Ms. Jhang Ying-jiao.