A country’s level of democracy is reflected in the development of its performing arts, Deputy Minister of Culture Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌) said yesterday, ahead of the 30th Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music in Taipei on Aug. 10.
The arts are the most important aspect of a nation’s soft power and traditional arts are the essence of its culture, Hsiao said.
“In Taiwan, we have cultural heritage from China, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, which has produced a melting pot of cultures and acceptance of them,” Hsiao said. “Against that background, we can see great diversity in traditional arts in Taiwan.”
Photo: CNA
The development of a country’s performing arts reflects its level of democracy, he said.
The awards honor artists, groups and works that have contributed to Taiwan’s diverse, creative and rich cultural heritage, organizers said.
“Artists, promoters and people who work in the traditional and cultural performing arts” will be among the winners, National Center for Traditional Arts director Chen Chi-ming (陳濟民) said.
The Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s album Image Taiwan II has been nominated for six awards — best cover art, best performance, best recording, best composition, best lyrics and best producer.
The theater production The Cursed Royal Family by the Tang Mei-yun Taiwanese Opera Company has been nominated for best ensemble performance, best script, best actor and best music design.
Singing Organ in the Rainy Night by Gwhyenth Chen (陳毓襄) has been nominated for best art music album, best album producer, best recording, best musical performance and best arrangement.
Sound engineer Yeh Chwei-ching (葉垂青) and playwright Wang An-chi (王安祈) will receive special awards for their “contributions and achievements in the fields of traditional and artistic audio publishing, and theatrical performing arts respectively,” the Ministry of Culture said.
In 2014, the event was separated from the Golden Melody Awards and have since been run by the National Center for Traditional Arts.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61