When art is NOT cultural heritage
As someone who grew up in Taiwan and visited family there semi-regularly, I noticed that budaixi is so…normal. Compared to the reverence and respectability similar traditions like bunraku enjoys in Japan, budaixi holds a more mundane existence in Taiwan. To my knowledge it doesn’t hold any special position like intangible cultural heritage nor does it receive any form of government or NPO support. This might be because Taiwanese people themselves don’t consider budaixi art or anything of value at all. It is just another form of entertainment one finds while flipping channels on TV. Some people think it’s just for kids, some think the puppets are creepy and keep scrolling, and some people casually enjoy it as a nice action show. Most of Taiwanese budaixi are essentially low-budget wuxia fantasy filled with epic battles, sacred weapons and cultivation manuals, and romance (yes, puppet sex is a thing). Shows like Pili could have easily competed with the sad live action scene of 1980s Taiwan but in the modern era, most people prefer the much more big-budget C-dramas for their wuxia fix. At its worst, Pili or a sister series gave budaixi a bad name in the popular zeitgeist after a couple of unsupervised kids submitted puppet story summaries for their history homework and exams instead of studying. One such scandal nearly ended budaixi in Taiwan. At its best, it is a niche interest. And honestly, budaixi probably haven’t enjoyed so much positive popularity until now when Gen Urobuchi’s Thunderbolt Fantasy spin-off put the artform on the global map. But overall, Taiwanese puppetry is viewed more commercially. It is entertainment, product, pop culture.
But simultaneously, one can argue since budaixi is not recognized as an invaluable artform or traditional culture, it is allowed to be free. Once an artform is labelled cultural heritage, it is frozen in time. No one dares to experiment or change it; there are rules and regulations that define its protection status. But Taiwanese budaixi was allowed to grow and be creative. They film it for TV and one can see the anime and C-drama inspirations with just a glance. CGI and practical effects are allowed. The puppets have also gotten bigger and more technologically advanced in just a couple decades. They can flutter their pretty, long lashes and articulate cool stunts compared to their predecessors. Now some studios, like Pili Multimedia, even employ 3D printing and have upgraded other techniques to make the famous puppets. (can you make them cheaper please? When is the next BOGO for the collectables?) Thunderbolt Fantasy, by nature a collaboration, has even broken the tradition of single voice actor serving as narrator and voice of the entire cast. So not only is Thunderbolt Fantasy the first and only budaixi series in a different language, but it is also unique in using multiple voice talents. Though a traditional artform, it is clear budaixi in Taiwan survives through modernity and innovation compared to her sister puppet theatre traditions.
Part of me, when watching Taiwanese budaixi specifically, appreciates it as a mature artform and believes it deserves more recognition as cultural heritage. But part of me also believes art and theatre are alive and maybe we should let budaixi be to do what it wants for the glory of art. It is hard to find the balance and many artforms today find themselves at this crossroads – adapt and change or preserve the beauty.
