Miniature Model – Yunlin Palm Puppets Museum

The Yunlin Puppet Theater Museum was originally the Huwei District Office, built in 1931 during the Japanese era. Located in the heart of Huwei’s grid-planned town, it served as a key administrative center and later became the Huwei Police Station. As one of the few surviving Japanese-era district offices in Taiwan, it holds rich historical significance.

This building also showcases distinctive architectural features. It is a “semi-wooden” structure—combining timber with other materials—and reflects experimental design styles of its time. Its red-brick façade influenced Huwei’s architectural trends, and it still preserves the rare counterweight sliding windows, now seldom seen in Taiwan. In light of the growing movement to repurpose historical buildings, and recognizing Yunlin’s vital role in Taiwan’s glove puppetry culture, the county commissioned National Yunlin University of Science and Technology to develop a planning report for a puppet-themed museum. Restoration was completed in December 2006.