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Puppet Master
Chen, Xihuang
The 77 year-old puppet master Chen Xihuang is the most celebrated puppeteer in Taiwan.
He started performing puppet theatre at the age of thirteen with his father, the famous puppeteer Li Tianlu. His great-grandfather was a teacher at the emperor’s court in Beijing. The master still lives in an apartment in his great grandfather's huge traditional mansion in Taipei.

Over a period of 60 years, Chen developed and improved the techniques of the traditional glove puppet theatre and raised it to unprecedented levels. He performed in over 30 countries around the world from Cambodia to Morocco; from the Royal Festival Hall in London to the countryside of Central America. His students now form the foundation for the future of traditional Taiwanese puppet theatre. His professional attitude and ability to interpret the large number of different characters in his repertoire is an enormous inspiration to all his collaborators and fellow artists.

In recent years, he applied his skills to more modern shows, which were a great success. His versatility, background and personality make him an outstanding performer in the world of Taiwanese puppet theatre, as well as a unique character in all of Taiwanese art