Also known as palm opera performed using puppets, glove puppetry originates from the Fujian region of China in the 17th century. The head, hands and feet of the puppet are all wood carvings, with the head hollowed out so a finger may fit inside for the performance. The torso and limbs are made of cloth.

Traditional glove puppetry performance is divided into the front and back stage.The front stage showcases the hand manipulation skills and eloquence of puppeteers (first hand and second hand), while the backstage is responsible for the musical accompaniment. When the art was first introduced during the Qing Dynasty, the original styles included Nanguan, Chaozhou opera, and Baizi opera. At the end of Qing Dynasty, as Beiguan opera became more popular, the new style dominated puppetry performance, where adjustments had to be made in accordance with the high-pitch and exciting atmosphere characteristic of Beiguan. The most significant change is the addition of stunts such as window-jumping, posing, and dual fighting techniques in martial performances to attract a larger audience. The professional jargon of “thirty percent front stage, seventy percent backstage” demonstrates the importance of backstage support to enhance the dramatic effect on stage.

The spirit of the puppet show is the puppeteers, who must move and manipulate various puppets and props with dexterity. Simultaneously, they must take care of narration in coordination with other puppeteers and the rhythm of music coming from the backstage, to make the puppets come alive in their palms. The puppets are manipulated in accordance with their dramatic or martial characteristics with charming or witty expressions, with various postures or movements, including sitting, lying down,running, dual fighting, smoking, liquor-drinking, and holding an umbrella. Puppets of different genders and personalities paired with different vocal characteristics may rise and fall along with the opera plots: “One mouth tells the stories of all ages, and ten fingers turn into millions of soldiers.”

Glove puppetry has changed with the times along with changes in regimes and what is in fashion. When the traditional plots could no longer draw an audience during the Japanese colonial period, puppetry performances adapted various legends of folk heroes fighting evil to defend justice for the ordinary people, also known as the Swordsmen Drama. During the Japanization period,traditional opera was suppressed, and glove puppetry was forcefully transformed into a tool for Japanese political propaganda. The puppets became Japanese figures, dramatizing Japanese stories.
In response to the political circumstances after WWII, glove puppetry troupes began collaborating with the Kuomintang government and performed anti-communist and anti-Russian dramas. Furthermore, glove puppetry began to perform inside theaters with ticket sales. To attract the audience, great transformations took place in terms of stage sets, puppets, musical accompaniment, and plots. For example, small-sizepuppets fitting for a tiny puppet theatre stage became larger and larger on the bigger stage so the audience could see clearly. When the puppets became larger in size, the technique of manipulation also had to change, and the drama gradually placed more emphasis on lighting, the setting, applying various special effects and stunts accompanied by contemporary pop music, and even becoming radio broadcasts or TV programs. So far, glove puppetry in Taiwan continues to transform and create following the changing times, presenting a diversified outlook integrating the traditional and innovative elements.
Currently, the protection and continuance of traditional glove puppetry performance,music, and puppet production skills are under the cultural asset preservation system. In addition to festival activities and stage performances, the art of glove puppetry is also shared on the stage internationally. Glove puppetry movies and TV programs produced in adherence to popular culture have also become a familiarity among the younger generation globally.