Taiwanese model and actress Lin Chi-ling’s (林志玲) appointment as a new Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TCCA) board member is not a paid position, and she would not be involved in how the National Development Fund operates, Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) said yesterday.
Li made the remarks in response to media queries after the announcement of Lin’s new role earlier in the week drew a backlash from the cultural industry over her pro-China comments.
Lin has been known to publicly wish Chinese congratulations on China’s national day. On Oct. 1, 2023, a post on her Chinese social media account was titled: “May China be strong and prosperous.”
Photo courtesy of Lin Chi-ling Studio
Li yesterday said he wished to address the issue of Lin’s position on the board and her pro-China comments from the perspectives of legal systems, professionalism and free speech.
The TCCA must have 11 to 15 board members, Li said, adding that the appointments were intended to ensure the agency could function as intended.
Board members are not paid and would not, functionally, incur conflicts of interest with the TCCA, he said.
Regarding concerns about how the TCCA was connected to the fund, Li said that all funding must pass through two rounds of assessments by a separate committee under the fund, and therefore the TCCA has no power to affect which items the fund invests in.
The catalyst for TCCA’s work with Lin stemmed from Taiwan Creative Content Fest last year, during which Lin donated NT$1.5 million (US$47,610) to fund an award supporting films on women’s issues.
She signed a memorandum of understanding with the agency to help produce 10 cinematographic works over five years that are worthy of international promotion and focus on themes of child and youth care and romance, Li said.
With her connections at the Cannes Festival and her popularity in Japan, China and other countries, Lin is the best candidate to help promote Taiwanese culture, Li said, adding that when the TCCA extended the invitation, it was unsure whether Lin would accept.
Regarding Lin’s posts on China’s national day and other events, Li said his ministry had launched an investigation into 20 entertainers who had branched off their businesses into China, and found that the posts made on social media were most often made by social media managers or the entertainers’ management team.
He urged a more balanced and rational perspective on the issue, adding that isolated incidents should not be used to discredit artists’ commitment to Taiwan’s cultural industry.
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