The Ministry of Culture yesterday announced an updated scheme to encourage young people to watch Taiwanese films using Young Adult Culture Vouchers.
The ministry launched the voucher initiative in June, providing 1,200 “culture points” — equivalent to NT$1,200 — to young adults aged 18 to 21 to encourage them to see Taiwanese movies, watch live performances, buy books, visit museums and buy cultural and creative products.
The points have been registered by 770,000 people so far and 620 million points have been used, the ministry said yesterday, adding that 48 percent of the points were used at bookstores and in the publishing industry.
Photo: CNA
To catch up with the boom of Taiwanese films beginning in September, the ministry introduced a new scheme on Sept. 16 to offer an extra 100 points for each of the group members when they all use the points to watch a Taiwanese film.
The scheme has now been further expanded after the 60th Golden Horse Awards ceremony on Saturday generated great enthusiasm for Taiwanese productions.
An extra 100 points are to be given to those who use over 350 points to watch a Taiwanese film with other people, the ministry said, adding that the scheme would last until Feb. 29 next year.
The box office income of Taiwanese films so far this year, the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic, has exceeded NT$1.1 billion (US$34.94 million), which is not only higher than the NT$604 million last year, but also higher than the NT$702 million in 2019, when the pandemic barely started, it said.
Separately, grant applications for translating works by Taiwanese authors and creating medium to long comics are to open on Friday, the ministry said.
The ministry is to step up efforts to promote translations of Taiwanese authors’ works and the creation of comics, which have great potential for adaptation into TV dramas and cross-domain applications, it said on Thursday.
The Books From Taiwan program, launched in 2014, has sold the copyrights of 506 books to international publishers; the Grant for the Publication of Taiwanese Works in Translation, started in 2020, has supported the translation of 205 books, it said.
Starting next year, the Books From Taiwan program is to select 220 books per year, up from 60, providing translation samples and introductions to attract international publishers, it said.
The program is to provide full translations of all the comics being selected and 20 from other categories, including fiction, non-fiction and children’s books, it said.
Since its establishment in 2017, the grant for comics has supported the production of approximately 700 comic books and journals, many of which have gone on to win awards in Taiwan and abroad, it said.
Most comics by Taiwanese creators are single volumes or in a series of less than three volumes, as the market size for comics is limited, it said.
Therefore, the ministry is to launch a subsidy program to support the creation of comics that consist of three to five volumes, it said, adding that the program is to provide up to NT$7 million over three years per application.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
EXERCISES: A 2022 article by a Chinese intelligence expert identified at least six People’s Liberation Army assault boats hidden inside the Hong Kong-flagged ship A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that had been docked at Taichung Port and which previously took part in Chinese military exercises departed from the port on Saturday, the Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Taichung branch said yesterday. The statement came in response to a post on the social media platform X by Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton that said the ship, the SCSC Fortune, had been docked at the port since Tuesday and questioned whether Taiwan has any rules regarding foreign civilian vessels that have participated in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises. Horton referenced a 2022 article by Chinese intelligence expert Rod Lee that
PROBLEMATIC: Popular hotpot restaurant chains were among the list of restaurants that failed the inspection and have been ordered to remove bad ingredients The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of hotpot ingredients in hotpot restaurants resulted in a 16.7 percent failure rate. Eight vegetables had excessive pesticide residue and two other items had aflatoxin and excessive preservatives. As the weather is getting colder, more people eat at hotpot restaurants so a random inspection of ingredients was conducted in October to ensure food safety, the department said. Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said 60 different ingredients were tested: 15 high-risk vegetables, 15 processed food items, 10 soy-based food items, five meat items, five lamb items, five seafood items and five peanut powder
RSS