Seven folk arts masters, from hand puppetry, Taiwanese opera, comic dialogue, seal engraving to lionhead-making, were honored by the Taipei City Government yesterday for their persistence and dedication in preserving traditional arts.
The inaugural Taipei City Master of Traditional Arts Awards were presented by Taipei City's Department of Cultural Affairs to give public recognition to the artists and promote the traditional arts.
One of the masters who received an award, Chen Xi-huang (陳錫煌), is the son of legendary puppeteer Li Tien-lu (李天祿). Hsu Wang (許王) and Chung Jen-pi (鍾任壁), who also won awards, have all played key roles in the history of hand puppet shows in Taiwan with their lifelong dedication to making hand puppets and the study of hand puppet performances.
Another artist, 65-year-old Liao Te-liang (廖德良), is well-known for his exquisite seal engraving works. Studying the art of engraving seals since the age of 18, Liao blended the techniques he learned from different schools and also became an accomplished stone appraiser over the years.
Liao said seal engraving is a disappearing craft as it requires a lot of physical strength and fine stones are becoming harder to find.
“I still cut my hands sometimes when engraving the seal, and few people want to endure the hardship and learn the skills nowadays. We need to try harder to preserve this traditional art,” he said, urging the government to put more effort into the promotion of traditional arts.
Other artists who received awards included Chen Sheng (陳剩), a famous Taiwanese opera performer, 96-year-old lion head maker Hong Lai-wang (洪來旺) and Wu Zhao-nan (吳兆南), a cross-talk master.
An exhibition on the works of the seven masters is being held at the Ximen Red House from 11am to 9pm until April 23. The Department of Cultural Affairs will also invite different awarded masters to share their experience with the public on Saturdays from April 17 to June 26 at Taipei Cultural Center.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
RSS