Exploring Ancient Leisure and Entertainment at the National Taiwan Museum

In ancient times, without modern technology, people sought entertainment through external performances like puppet shows and self-amusement with insects. This time, the National Taiwan Museum presents an exhibition showcasing ancient puppet theater and the culture and art of chirping insects, allowing visitors to enjoy the fun of learning from the past. Puppet theater includes traditional performing arts such as marionettes and shadow puppetry, which are accompanied by scripts, music, and dialogue to narrate stories. These performances are closely tied to faith and entertainment, often using worldly scripts to subtly convey social morals and beliefs, influencing the audience profoundly. Insects are common and can be found everywhere around us. This special exhibition takes a unique approach by introducing the long-standing culture and craftsmanship of chirping insects from a scientific perspective. Ancient people captured and raised these insects for amusement, which led to the development of poetry dedicated to chirping insects and the creation of intricate breeding crafts.