A comic book highlighting the life of a renowned Taiwan hand puppet master was recently released as part of public and private sector efforts to preserve and promote the traditional folk art.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the comic inspired by Li Tien-lu first appeared as a long-running series in the “Creative Comic Collection” published by the MOST in 2012.
Created by cartoonist Xiao Nai-zhong, the comic depicts the life of a puppeteer during Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945), and how he established himself as the traditional folk art developed into a modern form of entertainment.
“This is probably the most agonizing project for me,” Xiao said. “It’s a great pity to see the demise of the traditional art, but the effort to arrest this trend and turn the spotlight on a remarkable piece of folk culture and history is worthwhile.”
After spending three years on the project and consulting numerous reference materials, including academic papers, biographies and documentaries, Xiao said he is now a die-hard hand puppet fan.
A major in industrial design, Xiao won a national award for his adventure comic “The Walker of the Dusk” in his senior year and was determined to pursue a career in cartoon creation. Xiao’s second work, which is based on “Alice in Wonderland,” was nominated for the Golden Comic Award in 2010. (SFC-JSM)
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