Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival- national treasures gather to pass on their artistry

   Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival has been running for close to twenty years. This year, the festival focused on international exchange, inviting domestic and foreign puppet troupes to perform together on stage. A particularly special part of this year’s festival was an awards ceremony for four puppetry masters, acknowledging their lifetime’s contribution to the art.

   The opening day was marked with a street carnival, in which Yunlin’s school students and university clubs were invited to participate. Carnival troupes cosplayed as various puppet characters, the gorgeous costumes catching the attention of the public. On top of all this, the sight of foreign students waving flags at the festival brought a wonderful atmosphere.

    In recent years, there have been fewer and fewer opportunities for young people to encounter traditional culture, resulting in a loss of artistic skills and a gradual decline in the art of puppetry. Through artistic exchange between domestic and international puppetry troupes, Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival is giving people a chance to experience the charm of puppetry, which it hopes will rekindle this fascinating art and develop it to new heights.

 以下為中英文對照

   舉辦將近有20年歷史的雲林國際偶戲節，今年以國際交流為主題，邀請國內外偶劇團共同登台表演，更特別頒發偶戲貢獻獎，給台灣布袋戲界的四位大師。

   開幕當天規劃踩街嘉年華，也邀請雲林在地學生和大學社團一同參與，踩街團體Cosplay成布袋戲角色，華麗裝扮吸引民眾目光。隊伍當中還能看到外國學生揮舞國旗，讓活動氣氛high到最高點。

    近年來，年輕族群接觸傳統文化的機會越來越少，導致技藝失傳，布袋戲產業逐漸沒落。雲林國際偶戲節的活動，透過本土與國際團隊的藝術交流，讓民眾體驗到偶戲的魅力，也希望能將布袋戲文化重新發揚光大

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