Sanzhi and Tamshui Travels
Michella Jade Weng, Presenter:
Sifu! Sifu! Are we in India, yet?
German
Pichardo, Nicaraguan Expat:
Not yet, Wukong.
Michella
Jade Weng, Presenter:
Well then Sifu, where are we?
German
Pichardo, Nicaraguan Expat:
We��re still in Sanzhi.
We can��t
keep fighting like this. What if we become blood
brothers instead?
Big brother buffalo.
Little brother monkey.
Fascinating! Hahahahaha...
Chinese
puppetry may have been invented in China in the
17th century, but this classic folk art has probably
been best preserved in Taiwan. This the hand puppet
museum of the legendary Li Tien-lu. Look at the
faces of the puppets!
When
the face is blue, the character is usually some
kind of monster or a foreigner. When red like Guan
Gong, the character is a loyal one. And if it��s
yellow, it could be sick or down and out.
Puppetry
was a major source of entertainment for people before
TV��s were common. Shows were watched in front of
temples in open spaces, and the stories that were
acted out ranged from traditional Chinese tales
to Japanese lores during the occupation, to even
Western classics like Shakespeare��s Henry IV. Off
the beaten path, this museum is truly one of the
gems of Sanzhi.
This
is neighboring Tamshui, famous for not just fish
balls made of shark meat, but also culture.
Fuyou
Temple is the oldest place of worship in Tamshui,
built in 1796. The resident deity is sea goddess
Mazu who looks straight across the river at Guanyin
Mountain, named after the Goddess of Mercy, so people
believe that there are two goddesses that watch
over the town, giving locals a greater sense of
security. There are tons of stories that could be
told about Tamsui, and this is only one of them.
If you think it��s just a touristy little place,
you might be in for a huge surprise.
German
Pichardo, Nicaraguan Expat:
When you come here, you should go and walk around,
not only on the main streets, but you can go into
the real old streets. You��ll find out many historical
backgrounds about Tamshui. So it��s good.
Michella
Jade Weng, Presenter:
So if you get a chance, come visit Tamshui! See
you next time, bye!