The Taiwan Theater Museum is located within the Cultural Affairs Bureau Yilan County and contains all kinds of objects related to Taiwanese opera as well as puppet theater artifacts. The purpose of this large collection is to illustrate the evolution, preservation, study, and promotion of Taiwanese folk opera and indigenous music. Models of traditional Taiwanese, local, and modern opera stages are on display, and an audiovisual room allows visitors to gain a better understanding of this major aspect of Taiwan's traditional culture.
Taiwanese Opera
Taiwanese opera—the most popular operatic form on the island—is based on folk songs and ballads but also has a rich infusion of influences from other types of music, body movements, costume, and stage props. The language of this local opera is the local language, the Hokkien (southern Fujianese) dialect of Chinese.
Puppet Theater
Many types of puppet theater were highly popular in ancient China. Of all these types, only string-operated marionettes (with the exception of hand puppets) made it to Taiwan.