President Ma Ying-jeou met on the evening of November 11 at the Presidential Office with the recipients of the 16th Global Chinese Culture & Arts Award. The president emphasized the significance of the award in passing along the legacy of Chinese culture. He also welcomed the award winners to participate in celebrations next year to mark the ROC's centenary, which he said will be an opportunity for the world to appreciate the meaning of Chinese culture with Taiwan features.
The president noted that the award is granted by the Republic of China Senior Jaycees Club. Now in its 16th year, the award has been presented to over 200 individuals who have helped to bring attention to traditional arts with their work, and to pass their skills on to a new generation of practitioners. The president stated that this year's award recipients come from Taiwan, mainland China, and the United States, and all have attained a high degree of achievement in their respective cultural and artistic pursuits.
President Ma stated that Chinese culture has survived and flourished throughout the millennia, and that after the destruction of the Cultural Revolution in mainland China (1966-1976), individuals there began re-assessing the importance of preserving Chinese culture. Many outstanding artworks and cultural traditions have been preserved in a free and democratic Taiwan, he said, adding that this has given rise to a Chinese culture with Taiwan characteristics, highlighted by such entertainments as Taiwanese opera and puppet shows. Sound, lighting, and special effects have been integrated into these traditional art forms, infusing them with new creativity. In addition, the use of the vernacular in these performances has made them accessible to both young and old, he said.
The president remarked that next year marks the 100th year of the ROC. It will be celebrated with a series of activities falling under three main categories, focusing respectively on the past (interpreting our history), the present (bringing Taiwan to the world's attention), and the future (offering Taiwan a vision for the future). Next year will thus be somewhat like a year-long Taiwan expo, he said, offering the world the chance to see an abundance of arts and cultural activities here. The president added that the award winners are among the best interpreters of Chinese culture, and expressed his hope that they will participate in next year's celebrations.
The recipients of the 16th Global Chinese Culture & Arts Awards are as follows—Chinese Literature and Arts Award: Tang Feng (唐風, US); Chinese Martial Arts Award: Weng Qixiu and You Xuande (翁啟修 and 游玄德, mainland China); Chinese Calligraphy Award: Wang Chun-jie (王純傑, US); Chinese Art Painting Award: Huang Qing-yuan (黃慶源); Folk Arts and Crafts Award: Chen Qi-cun (陳啟村); Folk Music Award: Jiang Zhen-ji and Yan Wen-xiong (江振吉 and 顏文雄, US); Local Drama Award—Taiwanese Opera: Guo Chun-mei (郭春美); Local Drama Award—Puppet Show: Huang Wen-lang (黃文郎); Arts Preserving Award: Zhang Youping (張有平, mainland China): Tribal Culture Award: Lei Ci (雷賜); Hakka Culture Award: Peng Yu-kun (彭玉坤).
The award winners were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the evening by Republic of China Senior Jaycees Club Chairman Xiao Jian-hong and Council for Cultural Affairs Deputy Minister Jen-Fang Lee to meet President Ma. Also attending the event was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Bao-guey.