On the afternoon of September 18, President Ma Ying-jeou attended the first Tang Prize Award Ceremony at the main auditorium of the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, where the awards were conferred upon five laureates in the fields of Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. In the evening, the president attended a banquet held at the Grand Hotel in Taipei in honor of the laureates.
In remarks at the banquet, President Ma first praised the founder of the Ruentex Group, Dr. Yen-Liang Yin (尹衍樑), for establishing the Tang Prize. Dr. Yin is an entrepreneur with broad vision and an international outlook. The president stated that the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) played an extremely important role in the history of China, as it marked a pinnacle in cultural and military achievements. At that time, China was one of the world's most advanced nations. The organizers of the award decided on the name "Tang Prize" to emphasize that it is a global prize. The idea is not only to recognize the brilliance of Chinese culture, but also to encourage subsequent generations to work actively to build the nation and help it reach the heights achieved during the Tang Dynasty.
President Ma commented that the capital of the Tang Dynasty was in Chang'an (長安), which means enduring governance and lasting peace (長治久安), and the four categories of prizes in the Tang Award highlight the implications of the four Chinese characters. In particular, the prizes in Sustainable Development, Rule of Law, Sinology, and Biopharmaceutical Science all have their roots in important concepts that constitute key threads in the long tapestry of Chinese history, the president remarked.
In discussing the outstanding contributions of the award recipients, President Ma stated that the Prize in Sustainable Development was presented to Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway, who is known as the "godmother" of sustainable development. Ms. Brundtland in 1987 released a report entitled Our Common Future, the content of which has had an enormous impact on thinking about the environment. Next, the president pointed out, the Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science was shared by Dr. James P. Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo, whose research has led to revolutionary breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer and has saved the lives of many.
President Ma noted that the recipient of the Tang Prize in Sinology is Dr. Yu Ying-shih (余英時), who is renowned not only in the Chinese-speaking world, but also the global community of historians. Dr. Yu has become the ideal bridge between Eastern and Western cultures.
As for the Prize in Rule of Law, the president noted, Dr. Albie Sachs, when receiving the award in the afternoon, mentioned that South Africa's constitutional democracy constituted the gentlest revenge against the people who persecuted him. President Ma praised Dr. Sachs for the meaning behind that statement.
The president also stated that in late 1991 the United Nations banned the use of driftnets in the Northern Pacific Ocean. The main reason for this move was that the mesh in the driftnets was too small, meaning that all types of fish, from big to small, were becoming caught in the nets, causing a depletion of fishing resources. President Ma quoted the philosopher Mencius from 2,500 years ago: "If close nets are not allowed to enter the pools and ponds, the fishes and turtles will be more than can be consumed." The president said this shows that the ancients understood the concept of conservation, and this corresponds to the tenets underlying the Prize in Sustainable Development.
Among those attending the banquet were Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Control Yuan President Chang Po-ya (張博雅), Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong (翁啟惠), Academia Sinica Fellow Dr. Yuan- Tseh Lee (李遠哲), Tang Prize Foundation Founder Dr. Yin and Mrs. Yin, and Foundation CEO Jenn-Chuan Chern (陳振川) and Mrs. Chern.