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.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
RSS