Thoughts on Techo Sam Thà Tsú (the Third Prince)

The sensation the Techo Sam Thà Tsú made in the World Games in Kaohsiung was a great success in promoting local culture in Taiwan.
Personally, I do not think very highly about this innovative way of presenting local culture. I prefer the original way the deity is. To me, this way it looks more like a deity than an entertaining thing. Because of the success in the World Games, other places begin to perform Techo Sam Thà Tsú. Sometimes the background music may be other contemporary songs such as "Sorry Sorry" by a Korean group. This phenomenon shows that people become more acceptable toward this invention.

Even though I do not like it very much, I try to think otherwise. To appeal to people who are not familiar with one culture, this kind of performance can effectively attract their attention and interest. I cannot deny that this invention works very successfully.

I learn from this experience that change is not a negative thing. Through renewing tradition, we may inject new energy and meaning to those old things. I hope that after this class, I can try to create something new from our cultural heritage.

Sharon Zheng