National Cheng Kung University professor emeritus of architecture Fu Chao-ching (傅朝卿), photographer Juan I-jong (阮義忠) and the late-poet Lin Heng-tai (林亨泰) have won the National Cultural Award this year, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday.
Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) called the recipients and their families to congratulate them, the ministry said in a news release.
The award winners have dedicated their lives to the preservation and promotion of Taiwanese culture, helping enrich the unique and diverse cultural treasure of the nation, Shih said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture
Fu is recognized for his contribution to preserving the nation’s cultural assets, especially his long-term efforts studying and promoting Taiwan’s architecture and history, the ministry said.
He has advocated for repurposing historical monuments, taught the public about the importance of cultural heritage preservation and introduced international standards into local preservation efforts, it said.
Fu was the first Taiwanese academic to present at the International Council on Monuments and Sites under UNESCO, where he talked about cultural asset preservation in Taiwan, it said.
Juan has used photography to capture precious memories in the lives of common people living throughout Taiwan, the ministry said.
He has held solo exhibitions in Taiwan, China, France, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Macau, Mexico, Sweden and the US, it said, adding that his works have been added to the collections of renowned institutions such as the Paris Museum of Modern Art.
Lin, who passed away in September last year, went through a challenging period when he had to switch from writing poetry in Japanese to Mandarin after the end of the Japanese colonial period, the ministry said.
In the darkest era of Taiwanese politics, he continued to create with determination, helping keep Taiwanese literature healthy, it said.
His focus on local culture and Taiwanese identity preserved an important chapter of Taiwanese post-war poetry, it said.
The premier is to present the medals, certificates and prize money at an award ceremony on May 9 at Taipei Zhongshan Hall’s Guangfu Auditorium, it said.
The award, presented by the Executive Yuan annually since 1981, is the nation’s highest cultural honor and recognizes the lifetime achievements of its recipients, the ministry said.
The review process is rigorous, it said.
A panel reviews nominations, submitted in writing, and if three members approve of a nomination, it is discussed by a review committee for final approval.
More than two-thirds of the committee members must attend a final vote, and decisions require the approval of more than three-quarters of the attending members, it said.
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