Kim Siebert

The Taiyuan Asian Puppet Theatre Museum (TAPTM, founded in 2000) is part of the Taiyuan Foundation which also includes the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company, the Nadou Theatre, Taiyuan Publishing and Taiyuan Film. The Museum works closely together with these organizations which result in a rhythm and partnership where we gain in creativity, capacity, exchange and sustainability: a potent combination in the preservation and promotion of the art of Asian puppetry. Thus the Museum performs its museological duties, surrounded by a participating team of shared performers, scholars, designers, educators and patrons with a loyal and expanding audience sharing a creative vision. The Conservation Unit is the guardian of the unique collection of over 10,000 Asian puppet theatre objects. We work on the preservation and interpretation of this cultural legacy with our sights on the future. This paper charts the evolution of the private collection of Dr. Paul Lin into a museum with professional standards of practice in a context that has already delivered an international reputation. For the Conservation Unit this is about stepping up to the challenge. We are situated in a 1930s heritage building (with all its related problems), located on a tropical island in a typhoon and earthquake zone. Puppet performances and temple celebrations are still happening on the streets around the museum, so we are part of a living culture and share its vitality.