The Donghua Puppet Troupe has a two-century history, originally known as ``De Xing Ban,'' and is recognized as the most famous cultural heritage in the formerly named Dasi Township area. The fifth-generation inheritor, Mr. Zhang Decheng (deceased), was elected as a member of the first class of National Folk Art Masters in 1989 (Minguo 78), sharing the prestigious honor with Mr. Li Tianlu. For the elder generation in the Dashu community who live near Sanmin Road, the "Puppet Zhang" family remains a well-known name. Starting with Zhang Chuan, the lineage passed to Zhang Jiao and later Zhang Decheng, whose family's artistic talents have long been widely acclaimed. In the era before television, shadow puppetry stood as the most popular form of folk entertainment; after busy farming seasons, people of all ages gathered together to watch shadow puppet performances, listen to traditional folk stories, and experience the unique light and sound effects of the art form. Through Mr. Zhang Decheng's dedication, the Donghua Puppet Troupe captivated wide audiences in the 1950s through its theatrical tours across Taiwan, and further expanded its reputation to international destinations like the United States, the Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan to promote national diplomacy. After Mr. Zhang Decheng passed away in 1995 (Minguo 84), his third son, Mr. Zhang Funan, assumed the family inheritance of "passing on history through art." In recent years, Mr. Zhang Funan has primarily collaborated with local cultural centers to persist in preserving and promoting shadow puppet culture.
Puppets and Inheritance: Over 2,000 years ago, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty mourned the death of his beloved concubine and ordered a Taoist priest to use divination to summon her spirit. The priest erected a large screen in the palace and generated ghostly silhouettes through thin smoke and dim light, creating the illusion of the dead woman appearing on the cloth. Moved by this display, Emperor Wu gained comfort. With this beautiful legend, shadow puppet performances have continued in China to the present day. Chinese shadow puppetry is the oldest art form incorporating changing visual effects of "light" and "shadow." It combines rich dreamlike humor with meticulous integration of painting, carving, music, and drama. According to archival records, the performance style had already matured by the Northern Song Dynasty and flourished widely through the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, enjoying great popularity among common people.
Shadow puppetry is a two-dimensional art. Every puppet design combines intricate visual perspectives, often resembling sculptural arrangements. Under the operator's manipulation, and accompanied by song, spoken dialogue, and gong-drum music, the art form cleverly transitions through two-dimensional space in tandem with the narrative, creating an illusionary world of living puppets. The Donghua Shadow Puppet Troupe is passed down from one generation to another within the family, recognized as the oldest shadow puppet troupe in Taiwan. Unlike others, it has continually modernized beyond merely performing classic traditional techniques by adjusting to contemporary demands. Innovations include enlarged puppet windows, increased puppet sizes, vibrant color choices, flexible joints enabling high-level skill demonstrations, and specialized lighting effects for dynamic scene transformations.
Donghua Shadow Puppet Troupe enjoys acclaim not only in the northern part of southern Taiwan but between 1951–1966 (Minguo 40-55), it was the only puppet troupe capable of drawing full crowds in theatres throughout Taiwan. The troupe has received invitations for performances in Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and the United States. The great contributions of the fifth-generation leader Mr. Zhang Decheng gained him the first Art Heritage Award of National Folk Art in 1985 (Minguo 74). In 1989 (Minguo 78), Mr. Zhang also was elected as the first National Important Folk Art Artist in Taiwan. Currently, the sixth-generation leaders, Mr. Zhang Funan and Mr. Zhang Yiguo, began inheriting the main roles in 1987 (Minguo 76). Their efforts to preserve and promote Taiwan's shadow puppet traditions remain steadfast. While maintaining traditional techniques, they add creativity, and their flexible, rhythmic artistic style has earned widespread audience praise. They were awarded the Outstanding Art Heritage Golden Lion Award, National Top Ten Outstanding Youth Heritage Award, and the Education Department's first-graduating Important Folk Art Shadow Puppet Artist award.