Following complaints that the government was not paying enough attention to the nation’s cultural sector, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday announced the creation of a taskforce to bolster the cultural and creative industry.
Accompanied by several personalities from the cultural sector, Liu made the announcement during discussions on how to promote local culture at the Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA).
A similar taskforce was created at the Ministry of Economic Affairs five years ago, but it has been idle for the past two years, CCA Minister Huang Pi-twan (黃碧端) said.
She said a taskforce led by Liu would integrate authorities from the cultural and creative industry into the ministry, the CCA and the Government Information Office. The latter is the regulatory agency for the movie, broadcasting, TV and publishing industries.
Some personalities called on Liu to put more emphasis on cultural advancement programs.
Hsu Po-yun (許博允), founder of the New Aspect Cultural and Education Foundation and an adviser to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), said the government should offer subsidies to students nationwide to encourage them to go to artistic performances or sports contests.
Yu Kuo-hua (于國華) of the Xue Xue Institute said the government should continue to increase subsidies for local art groups, which on average see losses of NT$500 million (US$14.72 million) every year.
Tseng Shu-cheng (曾旭正), the director-general of the Community Empowering Society, criticized the government for its proposed bill on regenerating farming villages, which has yet to be reviewed in the legislature.
The bill had discouraged many activists who showed concern for rural development, as did the manner in which the government handled the Lo Sheng Sanatorium, Tseng said.
“What we have seen from these events is that the government cares only about construction for the sake of economic development and disregards culture,” he said.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
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
RSS