Taipei Children's Recreation Center

Taipei Children's Recreation Center

• Source:Department of Economic Development,Taipei City Government
• Date:2012/12/17

Children’s Recreation Center will be partially closed starting April 20, 2009, due to the construction of Taipei International Flora Expo. Taipei Children’s Recreation Center will continue service as Wenshan Park at the Zoo Mall. Following the conclusion of Flora Expo on April 25, 2011, Pavilion of Culture and Celebrity's House will become a part of Folk Arts World, managed by the Children’s Recreation Center. It is slated for reopening on July 1, 2011, and will continue to serve as the educational and entertainment wonderland for parents and children.

Introduction to the Exhibition Halls

I. Folk Handicrafts Area (Originally Pavilion of Culture)

1.past are kept intact here at the Folk Handicrafts Pavilion. Feed your cultural spirit with these cultural relics and experience the cultural life of our ancient generation!

The buildings seen at the Folk Arts World are mostly the recreation of traditional architecture from Minnan and Yuedong. No matter coming from which direction, the first thing you see will be the stone arch that carves “Zi Qi Dong Lai” (which means the auspicious sign that has befallen) and “Xian Le Tai Ping” (the world is in peace and happiness). Here you can see the "swallow tail" or horseback shaped ridges that only traditional residences or temples possess. There are also the eight diagram window that brings good luck and avoid evil spirits, the bottle-shaped door that symbolizes safe and well, the peach shaped window that symbolizes longevity, scroll shaped window, moon shaped window, and all kinds of gables. If you are standing at the Folk Arts Plaza, look around. You will surely find Shisa – the guardian dog.

This area used to be the Pavilion of Culture during 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition. Now it has been given a whole new look, transforming into areas including Folk Handicrafts Area, Puppet World, and Folk Arts Plaza.

▲Replicas of Ancient Architectures

2.Puppet World, there are glove puppetry, shadow puppetry, and smaller performing stages, where visitors can put on their own shadow puppet or glove puppet show. On holidays, all kinds of performances will be scheduled at the Folk Arts Plaza and Puppet World.

▲Puppet World

◎The Origin of Shadow Puppetry – In the book - Two Imperial Ladies of Han - Emperor Wu of Han was described to be devastated after Lady Li’s death. Shao-weng Li, a wizard from Shandong, told the emperor that he can summon the dead Lady Li back to the world, so he lit up a light behind a tent at night. He asked the emperor to sit in another tent and watch from afar. The emperor really saw the shadow of Lady Li - when in fact - it was just the result of light and shadow manipulation.
◎Puppets made out of donkey leather can bring out the most delicate, charming, and haunting side of shadow puppetry. Shadow puppetry in Taiwan can be traced back to late Ming and early Qing, when it was introduced by the immigrants from Minnan. However, donkey was not easy to find, so they used cattle leather instead. Puppeteers would first trim the leather thin. After polishing, it can then be carved into different characters. To give the characters a final touch, the puppets are painted with color Tung oil to become transparent.

▲Glove Puppet House

◎Glove puppetry originated from 17th century Quanzhou, Fujian province. It is believed that Bing-lin Liang, a scholar from Ming dynasty, got an idea one day when he was watching puppetry. He decided to shrink the puppets, so it could be manipulated with a gloved hand. Using refined narrative style, poetry, songs, and mastered skills, his performances amazed the entire city of Quanzhou.
◎The characters of glove puppets include a male lead, female lead, supporting male lead, jester, old male lead, beast, and others. Glove puppets are exquisite sculptures. The drama, background, dialogue, and sound effects of glove puppetry will change through time and incorporate cultural elements. It is an art form that stands out and has gained international fame.

3.Visitors can come to the Folk Arts Plaza to play children’s folk games, while lion dance, folk dance, folk gymnastics, and folk art performances can be seen here on holidays (originally Da-Zhen-Tou Plaza, but was renamed Folk Arts Plaza in 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo).

▲Folk Arts Plaza

II. Exhibition Hall (Originally Celebrity’s House)

“Mongolian & Tibetan Cultural Relics Exhibition” runs from July 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011, a total of 6 months.
Under the roof of the renovated Japanese-style building, square flags in blue, white, red, green, and yellow with patterns and incantation (scripture banner, also known as the prayer banner) flutter in a wind. These flags are used for people to pay respects to gods and seek blessing. The exhibition has both educational and entertainment purposes, fostering children to understand, accept, comprehend, and respect different cultures. “Mongolian & Tibetan Cultural Relics” will showcase folk arts, handicrafts, shepherd’s culture, Tibetan drama, and the cultural relics from the nomadic people’s religion.

▲Exhibition Hall

Originally the Floral Hall in Celebrity's House: “Mongolian Cultural Relics Exhibition” displays Mongolian food, clothing, housing, transportation, and modern Mongolia through photographs, so visitors will have a basic comprehension towards this country. What is also at the exhibition are the Mongolian yurt, designed to be dismantled and rebuilt easily; Aobao Festival, a religious worship festival; roro cars, the means of transport on grasslands; and durable folk utensils. Visitors could even take pictures as they try on traditional Mongolian costumes.

▲Mongolian Cultural Relics Exhibition

Originally the Grace and Talent Hall in Celebrity's House: Tibetan folk dancing, music, and religious dancing are fully displayed at the Tibetan Opera Mask Exhibition. With most of its repertoire deriving from Buddhist teachings, Tibetan opera is both entertaining and informative. The masks come in different colors in Tibetan Opera’s Blue Mask Sect, each of which representing a unique characteristic or personality.

▲Tibetan Opera Mask Exhibition

Originally the Star Hall in Celebrity's House: This venue is now turned into a workshop classroom. Folk Art Workshop is scheduled to be held from mid July to September, 2011, including Go beginner’s class, calligraphy beginner’s class or advanced class, and diabolo beginner’s class, suitable for adults and students above first grade elementary. Parents and children are both welcomed to sign up for our Saturday and Sunday classes.

Opening Hours

Tuesday to Sunday 9:00~17:00
Tuesday to Sunday (July and August) 9:00~18:00
Closed every Monday

Remain open on Moon Festival (Monday, September 12, 2011)

Entry Fee

Admission Ticket: Adult NT$30, Discounted NT$15
Free entry for students (with valid ID) under the age of 12 in July and August
Children’s Science Exhibition Hall: Adult NT$50, Discounted NT$30
Group Ticket (admission fee and entry to Children’s Science Exhibition Hall): 30% discount for parties of 30 or more
Amusement World Facility Ticket: NT$20 per person per ride.

For more details, please refer to Exhibition Information.

• Hit: 1910
• Updated: 2012/12/17 10:17:00