Minister of Culture Hung Meng-chi (洪孟啟) on Wednesday stressed Taiwan’s freedom of expression during a meeting with the director of the Avignon Festival in the south of France.
In a meeting with Olivier Py in Avignon, Hung said his ministry encourages Taiwanese theater groups to take their performances to greater heights because freedom of expression is Taiwan’s biggest advantage in the Chinese-speaking world.
Hung made the remark after Py praised the vitality and freedom of Taiwan’s arts sector.
Five Taiwanese groups — Riverbed Theatre, 8213 Physical Dance Theater, Langasan Theatre, Horse and In Theatre — are performing in the Avignon Festival Off, a fringe event that runs in parallel with the Avignon Festival.
Hung also met with Avignon Mayor Cecile Helle during his stay in the historic city and said he hoped that Taiwan and Avignon can cooperate in the area of digital art.
On Monday, Hung presented the Taiwan-France Cultural Award to Fiorella Allio, a researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research, and Alois Osterwalder, in Paris.
Allio, who has conducted research on Taiwanese culture for more than three decades, was praised for her efforts in exploring Taiwan’s folk religions and beliefs, according to the ministry of culture.
Osterwalder, who jointly established the Ostasien-Institut (East Asia Research Institute) in Bonn, Germany in 1965, was lauded for his contribution toward the preservation of Taiwan’s folk music.
The Taiwan-France Cultural Award, established in 1996, is jointly presented by the ministry and the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences under the Institut de France.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
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