Vice President Annette Lu (
"Nowadays the younger generation only knows how to type words on their PCs. They no longer know how to write," Lu said at the Wu San-lien (
"Although the media and the Internet industries prosper, good literary works are fewer," Lu said.
She also commented on the fact that more students are planning to study in China instead of the US or Europe.
"We should not resist globalization, but we must stand against China's influence," Lu said.
"It is very important to love Taiwan, to have a `Taiwan spirit,'" Lu said, touching upon one of the primary requirements for the prize winners -- that they recognize Taiwan as their motherland.
The foundation was established in 1978 in honor of the 80th birthday of Wu San-lien, a pioneer of democracy in Taiwan.
Its annual awards are given to established artists in various fields ranging from novels, poetry and journalism to painting, calligraphy and photography and from music and dance to natural and social sciences.
A key goal of the foundation has been to encourage creative works of arts and promote native culture in Taiwan. Since 1978 it has given out 98 awards, including the four winners this year.
Each of this year's winners received NT$600,000.
Yang Ching-chu (楊青矗) won for novels, Hsu Wen-jung (許文融) won for paintings, Ko Fan-long (柯芳隆) won for music and Wang Shih-ching (王世慶) won for his work in social sciences.
Yang is a prominent novelist, whose works depict the working class.
The foundation cited Yang's works for their "admiringly concise style" and said they were "witnesses to the people's spirit of his age. They are precious footprints on Taiwan's literary history."
Yang has not always been in favor, both for his writings and politics. He was sent to prison in 1979 for his alleged involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident.
Ko, a professor at National Taiwan Normal University's music department, trained at Germany's Hochschule der Kunste Berlin. His works include symphonies, choral works, piano pieces and concertos. He has also adapted many Tai-wanese folk songs.
Ko said that more families could provide an expensive musical education for their children.
"We have many outstanding performers. However, our country's musical heritage can only grow through the creation of more music," Ko said.
Wang was honored for his contribution to studies of Taiwanese history.
He has rescued many precious field documents from the two world wars and is now a researcher in Academia Sinica's Institute of Sociology.
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