Culture is the heartbeat of a nation

Examining this derivative process, we can see that culture is built on the interaction among time, space and human beings. It cannot be made by a few people trying to play God, telling others how to live their lives.

Hence, when making cultural policies, we cannot just listen to our superiors but also need to accommodate a wide range of opinions.

That's why Western society places great emphasis on the idea of "cultural democracy" (文化民主) and believes that cultural policies should be made from the bottom up in order to respect existing lifestyles, based on folk customs and ethics, not just on the ideals of the elite.

As for the question from the caller, "How can this improve our culture and living standards?" -- the answer is, this is the purpose of education.

Hong Wan-long is a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University.

Translated by Eddy Chang