The 18th National Award for Arts was presented to this year’s winners at a ceremony in Taipei yesterday.
The latest recipients of the award are film director Wang Hsiao-ti (王小棣), stage designer Austin Wang (王孟超), writer Wang Ting-chun (王鼎鈞), conductor Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), architect Cheng Mei (陳邁) and abstract painter Chen Cheng-hsiung (陳正雄).
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) attended the ceremony, where Lung said the six artists have one thing in common — boldness.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times
Acer founder Stan Shih (施振榮), chairman of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, which grants the award, said he hopes it not only recognizes the recipients’ artistic achievements, but passes on the spirit of their lives and creations.
Wang Ting-chun, 89, was recognized for his poetry, prose, novels and biographies that reflect his time and show his care for society, the foundation said.
It praised Wang Hsiao-ti for her achievements in film, television, animation, documentary and theater art, and for the care for society expressed in her works.
Austin Wang, best known for his work as stage designer for Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (雲門舞集), was hailed for his works that span traditional and modern theater and dance, and for his efforts in bringing Taiwanese theater to the world.
Chen was praised for his decades of dedication to abstract paintings and his in-depth study of Aboriginal artifacts in Taiwan and China.
The aesthetic value of Cheng’s architectural works was praised by the foundation, while it said that Chien won because of his multiple victories at international conducting competitions, for bringing the National Symphony Orchestra to a new artistic level and for promoting Eastern and Western music, art and cultural exchanges.
The six winners each received NT$1 million (US$33,076) and a trophy.
The National Award for Arts was established in 1997. Previous recipients include Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (李安), director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) and Cloud Gate’s founder and artistic director Lin Hwai-min (林懷民).
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS