Yunlin County launches exhibition showcasing puppetry and forest therapy at Taipei 101

(中央社訊息服務20251111 14:07:48)To showcase the cultural and tourism highlights of Yunlin County, the Yunlin County Government and Taipei 101 are collaborating to present the "Beyond the Puppet, Beyond the Peak" exhibition. The exhibition was officially opened on Oct. 10 at the 89th floor of the Taipei 101 Observatory. Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善), Yunlin County Culture and Tourism Department Director Chen Bi-jun (陳璧君), Taipei 101 Chairman Janet Chia (賈永婕), Taipei 101 President Lilian Chu (朱麗文), Taipei 101 Chief Operation Officer Nadia Fang (方君之), Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Senior Technical Specialist Lu YIng-hsiu (盧英秀), National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch Director Ma Hui-ming (馬惠明), Kimkon Multimedia Chairman Steven Huang (黃立綱), Hsin Hsing Ku Puppet Show Troupe Director Chung Jen-liang (鍾任樑), Wood Art Piece Hall Director Fang Chih-ming (方志銘), Pili Global Brand Licensing Inc. Business Director Chiu Yun (丘昀), and other guests attended the opening ceremony. They extended an invitation to people from all over the country to visit Taipei 101 and experience the charm of Yunlin’s puppet theater culture and forest therapy.

"Beyond the Puppet, Beyond the Summit" is taking place from November 10, 2025, to March 1, 2026, at the Secret Garden in the Clouds on the 89th floor of Taipei 101 Observatory. Featuring the Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival and the Forest Therapy Festival, the exhibition emphasizes "Puppetry × Forest Therapy × International Landmark". Held at the world-renowned landmark Taipei 101 for the first time, the exhibition showcases the spirit of "Beyond the Puppet, Beyond the Summit," welcoming visitors from all over the world to ascend to the sky and embark on a spiritual journey of "transcending oneself, culture, and boundaries."

Magistrate Chang stated that Yunlin County has achieved remarkable results in promoting culture, tourism, and sustainability in recent years. She highlighted Yunlin as the birthplace of Taiwanese puppetry, boasting artistic talents from the two major Taiwanese puppetry schools and nurturing renowned puppetry brands such as Pili and Kimkon, playing pivotal roles in television puppetry and international recognition. The county government has also promoted puppetry beyond temple stages and connected with audiences both domestically and internationally through educational initiatives, including the Golden Palm Puppet Awards and the Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival, which has been running for 23 years, making puppetry one of Yunlin's most representative cultural brands. The main visual and event design of the Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival has won 3 German iF Design Awards and a total of 12 international design awards, including 6 silver, 1 bronze, 1 gold and 1 honorable mention. This year, the puppet show project "Puppetry and Sustainability" won the bronze award of the 5th Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (TSAA), demonstrating the continuous innovation and vitality of puppet shows.

Chang pointed out that in terms of tourism, the county government has created the "Forest Therapy Park" in the Shibi area in Caoling, Gukeng Township, which is the first forest therapy base in Taiwan. It has been recognized by the National Taiwan University Experimental Forest Team through long-term monitoring and research. The research indicates that the forest therapy activities carried out in the park have a positive impact on the physical and mental health of visitors, as the rich flora and fauna resources and high concentration of negative ions in the park help people to relax. Since 2022, the county government has been actively promoting the "Forest Therapy Season," centered on bamboo forests combining health promotion, environmental education, and slow travel. In 2024, it was certified as a "World Bamboo Landmark" by the World Bamboo Organization (WBO), becoming the world's first city to be certified as a bamboo landmark and the first in Yunlin County to serve as a model for sustainable forests and green tourism, thus becoming an internationally renowned bamboo ecology demonstration base. In the future, the healing park will further conduct precision medicine research, following the signing of an international cooperation MOU with Chungnam National University in South Korea and a cooperation partnership with National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch in 2024 to promote a forest therapy model that heals without medicine.

Director Chen Bi-jun noted that the curatorial concept of "Beyond the Puppet, Beyond the Summit" draws inspiration from Taiwanese imagery—puppet theater, the world's first bamboo landmark, and the world landmark Taipei 101. The bamboo, representing growth, resilience, and integrity, symbolizes the Taipei 101 building and the world's bamboo landmark. This exhibition brings together cultural and tourism features at the pinnacle, showcasing the spirit of "transcending oneself" and creating a dual exhibition area interwoven with puppetry and bamboo groves. The exhibition areas are divided into four sections: “A Healing Journey,” “A Realm of Bamboo Structures,” “The Light of Puppetry,” and “Taiwan's Sustainable Green Landmark.” Upon entering the exhibition area, visitors will first pass through a bamboo forest imagery interwoven with light and shadow, as if stepping into a high-altitude green paradise. Through light, shadow, music, and forest fragrance, visitors will be guided as if stepping into a high-altitude green paradise, feeling the tranquility and depth of the Yunlin’s forest. Next, they will enter the puppet exhibition area to appreciate the classic puppets of various troupes such as Pili, Kimkon, Hsin Hsing Ku, and Wood Art Piece Hall. F Visitors are offered with an experience of the traditional art in contemporary spaces through audiovisual and light tours. This collaboration with Taipei 101 is significant in that it presents the "World Bamboo Landmark × Puppet Show Culture" in the form of "two peaks": one a natural height from the mountains and forests, and the other a cultural height built by the city. The ascension to the Observation Deck on the 89th floor of Taipei 101, 382 meters above the ground, also represents Yunlin’s culture stepping onto the international stage and engaging in dialogue with the world.

Taipei 101 Chairman Janet Chia said that as a globally renowned landmark and cultural landscape, Taipei 101 has long been committed to promoting the concept of art, culture, and sustainable living. This collaboration with the Yunlin County Government not only showcases the unique charm of Taiwan's local culture but also allows the world to experience the exquisite craftsmanship of Taiwanese puppetry and the life aesthetics of bamboo forests from the 89th-floor Secret Garden in the Clouds at Taipei 101, 382 meters above the ground. Taipei 101 hopes that through this exhibition, visitors from around the world will not only see the height of Taiwan's architecture but also the depth of its culture, experiencing a cultural journey of "Ascending Taipei, Encountering Yunlin." By reaching the pinnacle of the world and encountering the light of Taiwanese culture, "Beyond the Puppet, Beyond the Summit" invites the public to step into the high-altitude bamboo realm, where an experience of culture, nature, and the soul amidst the interplay of light and shadow and puppetry can be encountered.